Aguilera: 'Abuse made me succeed'

Christina Aguilera has revealed that living with an abusive father gave her the determination to become a successful singer.

The popstar was the victim of domestic abuse when she was growing up and also regularly witnessed her father Fausto attack her mother Shelly.

Contactmusic quotes Christina as saying: "I witnessed a lot of unpleasant things - a lot of pushing and shoving and fighting and quarrelling. Growing up I did not feel safe. Feeling powerless is the worst feeling in the world.

"I turned to singing as an outlet. The pain at home is where my love for music came from."

However, the star's mother eventually left her husband when she found Christina, aged 4, covered in blood.

Shelly admitted in a recent TV documentary: "I scooped her up and said, 'Oh my God. What's wrong?' She told me, 'Daddy wanted to take a nap and I made too much noise'."

> Aguilera: 'Husband helped me beat fears'