Lake: 'Abuse caused my weight issues'

Ricki Lake has claimed that sexual abuse in her childhood is the reason for her ongoing weight issues.

The US talk show host weighed 260 pounds at her heaviest but slowly managed to lose over half of it.

Lake admitted that she was molested as a child and believes that it caused her image struggles.

The actress told Access Hollywood: "I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and I think it contributed. Who knows for sure? I've done many years in therapy and worked on all my issues.

"I didn't talk about it for, like, 15 or 20 years; I didn't admit that it had happened to me because I wanted to kind of bury things.

"It, in some way, made me who I am today... I don't want to be a poster child for this at all but it's a very weird thing for children when they're violated in that way. Food became a comfort to me; it was my kind of security blanket."

Lake revealed that she had never confronted her abuser but when she told her parents about it the person was "quickly removed" from her life.