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'Harry Potter' star Jessie Cave opens up about being raped at 14

Jessie Cave attends a South Bank Sky Arts Awards at the Savoy, strand in London. (Keith Mayhew / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
Jessie Cave attends a South Bank Sky Arts Awards at the Savoy, strand in London. (Keith Mayhew / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)

Harry Potter actress Jessie Cave has spoken out about being raped by a tennis coach at the age of 14.

The comedian and actress – who is known for playing the character Lavender Brown in the films about the boy wizard - discussed her ordeal in her podcast We Can’t Talk About That Right Now.

Cave, 33, opened up as she and her younger sister Bebe were talking about growing up, and Bebe revealed that they once had a fight about who had “a harder teenager-hood”.

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The actress said: “I mean, come on, I was raped. I get the trump card.”

The sisters carried on talking about Bebe’s teen struggles, with braces and bad skin coming up.

Cave then continued: “To be fair, acne and braces are bad, but I think rape at 14 is pretty bad.

“By your tennis coach, who you trusted, a position of power.”

The actress – who said the person who raped her had been sent to jail – added that there were “still consequences from that period of time that I’m only realising 18 years later”.

She went on: “And actually, the more time I have away from it, the more I felt, this is going to sound awful, but I do feel quite lucky in so many ways that I had a rape that was actually… it didn’t destroy me, and I think that’s something that people don’t talk about enough with sexual abuse and trauma.

“There are some people that are okay after.

“There are some people that do use it and find a way of living with it and definitely are not defined by it.”

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Cave won the role of Lavender in 2007 after attending an open casting call.

(from left to right) Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Bonnie Wright, Jessie Cave and Jim Broadbent are seen at a photocall to launch the new film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at Claridges Hotel in central London.
Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Bonnie Wright, Jessie Cave and Jim Broadbent at a photocall to launch Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (PA)

She has also appeared in television shows such as Black Mirror and Call The Midwife and works as a comedian.

She is in a relationship with fellow comedian Alfie Brown, and the pair are currently expecting their third child together.