Christina Aguilera says living with an abusive father helped her become a successful singer. The pop star was the victim of domestic abuse when she was growing up and also regularly witnessed her father Fausto attack her mother Shelly.  Christina turned to music to help her cope with the trauma, and insists it was her tough upbringing that inspired her to follow her dream.

She said: “I witnessed a lot of unpleasant things - a lot of pushing and shoving and fighting and quarrelling. Growing up I did not feel safe. Feeling powerless is the worst feeling in the world. I turned to singing as an outlet. The pain at home is where my love for music came from.”

Shelly eventually left her husband when she found a four-year-old Christina covered in blood.  Shelly revealed in a TV documentary: “I scooped her up and said, ‘Oh my God. What’s wrong?’ She told me, ‘Daddy wanted to take a nap and I made too much noise.’ ”  Fausto has since begged for forgiveness, but Christina refuses to have contact with him.  The “Candyman” singer - who has a 20-month-old son Max with husband Jordan Bratman said: “I let him back into my life briefly, but I soon realized that he is not necessary in my life.”