Lady Gaga’s Grandma Didn’t Know About Her Rape Until The Oscars

Lady Gaga's powerful performance of "Til It Happens To You" at the Oscars has sparked a lot of dialogue about sexual assault. Both Jaime King and former Bachelor contestant Jade Roper were inspired to share their own experiences with abuse. Now, Lady Gaga has revealed that her performance prompted a moving discussion within her own family. Though the pop star has been vocal about being raped at age 19, some family members were unaware of her experience. In a new post shared on Instagram and Twitter, the singer opened up about getting calls from her grandmother and Aunt Sheri after the Oscars "because I never told them I was a survivor." "I was too ashamed," she continued. "Too afraid. And it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I'm Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. "I thought it was my fault for 10 years. The morning after the Oscars when I talked to my grandmother Ronnie, with tears in her eyes I could hear them welling through the phone she said to me 'My darling granddaughter, I've never been more proud of you than I am today.' "Something I have kept a secret for so long that I was more ashamed of than anything — became the thing the women in my life were the most proud of," she added. "And not just any women, the ones I look up to the most. #BeBrave #speakup #tilithappenstoyou."