One Tree Hill star names ‘sinister’ cult she spent an ‘excruciating’ decade trapped in

One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz has revealed more details about the “sinister” cult she became “trapped” in as she named the “abusive” group.

The 42-year-old actress, who played Haley James Scott in the hit noughties drama, previously confessed on her podcast Drama Queens that she’d spent a decade in a cult and has “a lot to tell” about it. Now she’s doing just that with the upcoming release of a book all about her “secret double life in a cult”.

Taking to Instagram to announce the presale for her memoir, Dinner for Vampires, Bethany revealed the book details the 10 years she spent in “an abusive, high-demand group (aka, cult).” She wrote: “This isn’t the first book I thought I’d write, publicly, but as difficult as this subject matter is to untangle, I’m grateful I get to share my story, my way.”

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She added: “It’s a story of forgiveness and a roadmap to how manipulation works, with heartache and humour along the way. We all make mistakes and I hope Dinner for Vampires reminds you that, no matter what weird roads you’ve gone down, you’re not alone.”

A description of the book on publisher Simon & Schuster’s website details how Bethany “always wanted a place to belong” growing up. Eventually, the actress discovered “the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group”, which other Hollywood creatives were allegedly a part of.

But the the group soon “morphed into something more sinister” and as Bethany’s acting career was taking off “her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel.” According to the description, Bethany found herself tied up in a “slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family”.

“Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge,” the description reads.

“Minders” from the group were allegedly assigned to watch over Bethany while “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings held in the basement of a “filthy house” and “regular counselling with leadership” were also used to “keep her loyal”. Bethany starred on One Tree Hill for nine seasons from 2003 to 2012 and spent that entire time in the “grip” of the cult.

But after becoming a mother she found the courage to flee so she could spare her child from the same fate. She’s since been healing from the “deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith.”

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk