Victoria Derbyshire has bravely opened up about the physical and emotional abuse she endured as a child, revealing that her father strangled her and dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night to attack her.
Appearing on Loose Women on Thursday, the 56-year-old journalist shared her painful memories as part of the show’s Facing It Together campaign, which raises awareness of domestic abuse. Speaking to Christine Lampard, Coleen Nolan, and Olivia Attwood, Victoria recalled the terror she and her family felt growing up.
“When he came through the door, we would scatter,” she said. “We didn’t want to be near him. It was like walking on eggshells – we knew he would start shouting or causing conflict.”
She added: “He strangled me, dragged me out of bed in the night just to scream at me. It happened more than once. And even though I knew that wasn’t normal – because my friends’ fathers weren’t like that – in our house, it somehow became our ‘normal’.”
Victoria described her father, Anthony – who died in 2020 – as a “bully” who was violent toward her, her mother Pauline, and her siblings. She also revealed how isolated the family felt due to lack of external support, explaining that her mother once went to the doctor with a broken rib, and the only note made was: “husband trouble.”
At just 13 or 14, Victoria had to run two miles to a police station during one violent episode – only to be met with indifference. “They came, had tea with my dad, and never spoke to my mum,” she recalled. “It’s shocking to think about now.”
When asked if she had ever spoken about the abuse with relatives, Victoria said they found comfort in her mother’s side of the family: “There was darkness, but there was also dark humour. We had places of safety – my gran’s, my aunt’s – where we laughed, where we could talk.”
She said her liberation came when her parents divorced when she was 16. “It was an incredible relief,” she said. “My mum fell in love with someone else – thank God – and he became my stepdad. He was what a father should be.”
Victoria has previously spoken out about her abusive upbringing, including in a 2020 interview where she revealed her father once poured hot soup over her school uniform during dinner.
Now, she uses her platform to raise awareness, especially after being moved by the rise in domestic abuse during lockdown. In one powerful gesture, she once wrote the national abuse helpline number on her arm during a live TV appearance.
Speaking on Loose Women, she said she’s made sure to explain everything to her two sons, who never met their grandfather. “I told them why they never saw him. We’re open in our family – we talk about everything. And they know exactly what domestic abuse and coercive control look like.”
Many viewers were moved by Victoria’s courage. One fan posted: “Her words mirrored my mum’s story. When she said ‘When he left, it was liberation day,’ I cried.”
