A newly-elected MP has revealed she became pregnant at the age of 15 after being groomed and raped by an older man.
Labour’s Natalie Fleet told GB News she has “weekly nightmares” about what she said happened to her 23 years ago.
“I didn’t know we were having unprotected sex,” she told the broadcaster. “I was a child and (it) is statutory rape.”
The Bolsover MP said she fell pregnant and gave birth to her daughter who she described as the “absolute love of my life”.
“I really want to be a voice for all of those people, all of those women that have children in far from ideal circumstances,” Ms Fleet said.
Ms Fleet said her family struggled when she was growing up and at one point found themselves homeless.
She said she was groomed by an “older man” and at 15 years old “didn’t know we were having unprotected sex”.
“At the time, this isn’t something that we were talking about,” she said. “It’s not how I saw myself.”
She said the older man told her to have an abortion when she became pregnant as a teenager.
The MP told the broadcaster she gave birth to a daughter and felt “full of shame, and guilt and responsibility”.
Looking back on the situation, Ms Fleet said it “wasn’t okay”.
“All I was determined to do was make sure that she had a life that was as good as she would have had to any age parent,” she said. “That was what I was determined to do, I didn’t think about me or the impact.”
When telling her daughter – now aged 23 – about what happened, Ms Fleet said she was shocked she could not find any advice for women in her situation.
“There was nothing,” she said. “There’s no acknowledgement that it happens in the UK.
“And the more research I’ve done, I’ve found that there are over 3,000 conceptions every year from rape, but there’s no charity to support these women.”
Now a mother-of-four, Ms Fleet said she wants to use her platform to talk more about women in her situation and “do something about it”.
She added her childhood experiences still have a “massive impact” on her.
GB News’ interview with Ms Fleet will be broadcast between 13:00 and 15:00 BST on Sunday.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.
