Paris Hilton Reveals the Physical & Emotional Abuse She Suffered in Her Teenage Years

Paris Hilton is bravely opening up about the terrifying abuse that she suffered while attending boarding school as a teen.

The 39-year-old media personality talks about the abuse in her new YouTube documentary This Is Paris and she opened up to People ahead of the premiere next month.

“I buried my truth for so long,” Paris said. “But I’m proud of the strong woman I’ve become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am.”

Paris says that her parents sent her to a series of boarding schools when she was 17 and in her rebellious years. The final school she attended, where she stayed for 11 months, was Provo Canyon School in Utah.

“It was supposed to be a school, but [classes] were not the focus at all. From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture,” she said. “The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down. And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so we’d be too scared to disobey them.”

Some of Paris‘ former classmates appear in the documentary to confirm the allegations and reveal more of the abuse that kids suffered at the school.

Paris says that one classmate accused her of trying to run away and she ended up in solitary confinement, where she’d remain for “sometimes 20 hours a day.” She also said it was impossible to tell her parents about what was happening as the staff would limit their communication with family.

“I was having panic attacks and crying every single day,” she said. “I was just so miserable. I felt like a prisoner and I hated life.”

Paris wants to raise awareness for what happens at these types of schools.

“I want these places shut down,” Paris said. “I want them to be held accountable. And I want to be a voice for children and now adults everywhere who have had similar experiences. I want it to stop for good and I will do whatever I can to make it happen.”

Click inside to see a statement from the boarding school…

People reached out to the school for a statement in response to the allegations. They responded and said, “Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time.”

The YouTube documentary premieres on September 14 on Paris‘ channel.