Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law reveals sexual abuse allegations against Dee Dee Warwick left her ‘gasping for breath’

Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law Patricia Houston has revealed the moment she learnt Dee Dee Warwick allegedly sexually abused her left her “gasping for breath.”

New documentary, Whitney, will shed more light on the tragic singer’s traumatic past, including claims that Houston was abused as a child by her soul singer cousin Warwick, who was nearly 20 years her senior.

A new Whitney Houston documentary will allege that she was abused as a child by her cousin Dee Dee Warwick who was 20 years old than her (JOERG KOCH/AFP/Getty Images)

These allegations have been backed up by Houston’s former personal assistant and confidante Mary Jones, and as her fans gear to learn more painful truths, Patricia Houston has spoken about making the allegations public.

She told the July edition of Attitude: “When I first saw it in the film, I was gasping for breath.”

Warwick died in 2008 aged 66, and great thought was given into releasing these details seeing as her sister Dionne Warwick, 77, and cousin Cissy Houston, 84, are still alive – causing many sleepless nights.

“You start thinking about them and the impact that it had on their life, the shame that you feel now or the embarrassment that Dionne may feel, the hurt that they may feel,” explained Ms. Houston.

“They were astonished because they did not know, they honestly did not know.”

Sister-in-law Patricia Houston revealed broadcasting the allegations was a tough decision considering that Dee Dee’s sister Dionne Warwick (left) is still alive (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/GettyImages)

“Behind all this you have to swing back and think about Whitney and Gary and everything they went through.”

She adds: “You’re naming a person who was public. I had sleepless nights about that.”

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And while it may have been painful for the remaining family to deal with the allegations, Houston knows how important it is for others to learn from this.

“I started thinking about millennials, young children and people who can learn from this because with molestation, [the victims] don’t talk,” she explains.

The singer’s family know it’s important the story is told to help other victims

“Look at everything that is happening out there with #MeToo. It took women 20 or 30 years to come forward. Can you imagine, a child? They are scared. They would never tell.

“I’m unapologetic for the film. It is what it is.”

Whitney comes to UK cinemas on 6 July.

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