BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire has opened up about the violent and abusive childhood she suffered at the hands of her father, who she described as a “violent bully”

Victoria opened up about her ‘vile’ father on Loose Women today(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire has opened up about the dark times she faced with her “vile” father Anthony, who passed away five years ago after a stroke. She called him a “violent bully” and described how her family constantly lived in fear of his unpredictable temper and infamous rages.

Speaking to ITV’s Loose Women, she recalled the harrowing experiences: “On occasion he put my hands around my throat [and] he would drag me out of bed in the middle of the night to shout at me. He was vile, frankly. He would put his key in the door when he was coming in from work and we would all scatter because we just didn’t want to be around… we were walking on egg shells as we knew he would probably start an argument, or he would be shouting to cause tension.

Victoria Derbyshire told no-one about the abuse she’d faced(Image: (Image: Getty))

The seasoned journalist further explained that she had come to view violence as normal during her formative years. When her mother sustained a broken rib due to the domestic abuse, the medical notes shockingly only indicated “husband trouble”.

On another gut-wrenching instance as a young teen, Derbyshire fled two miles to seek police intervention during one of her father’s attacks on her mother, resulting in the bizarre situation where the officers were nonchalantly invited in for tea upon their arrival.

She also revealed the isolation tactics used by her father, noting: “Our phone had been cut off because my father hadn’t paid the bill – which I now know was a way of isolating us,” reports the Express.

Concluding with a reflection on the inadequate police response, she lamented: “[When the police came after a two hour wait], they never spoke to my mum. When you think back, it’s unreal.”

Victoria Derbyshire opened up about her childhood on Loose Women(Image: (Image: BBC))

The 56 year old opened up with raw honesty during an episode of Loose Women for their anti-domestic violence initiative, Facing It Together. She shared her relief with panellists Christine Lampard, Coleen Nolan and Olivia Attwood, confessing that it wasn’t until her parents separated that she finally found peace.

Victoria, who previously stunned viewers in 2020 when she showed up on live TV with the national domestic abuse hotline inked on her arm, revealed: “They got divorced when I was sixteen, and honestly that was liberation! It was an incredible feeling…” and added, “She fell in love with someone else and thank God she did… the man who became my stepdad was like a proper father.”