Rina Sawayama, 33, reveals she was groomed at age 17 by a school teacher: ‘It completely broke my whole world apart’

Rina Sawayama revealed she was groomed at age 17 by a man she was what she thought was a relationship – and that he was her school teacher.

The singer and John Wick star, 33, spoke out about it during an interview on BBC Three’s In Conversation.

Rina said that her revelation came during her sex and relationship therapy she did.

‘This is the first time I’m talking about this, but essentially, through doing sex therapy – sex and relationship therapy – I realized that really something that I thought was a relationship that I had, when I was 17, was actually groomed,’ Rina said.

‘They why that realization happened in my 30s was because I was finally his age,’ the actress said. 

The artist also revealed that it was a school teacher, telling the outlet: ‘It came to light that, that was happening in my school, basically, it was a school teacher.’ 

Trauma: The singer and actress spoke out about it during an interview on BBC Three’s In Conversation; pictured September 24 in Las Vegas

Rina said that coming to this realization ‘completely broke my whole world apart.’

‘I remember distinctly how uncomfortable that made me, but I didn’t put the two and two together,’ she said.

‘And it was through this very intense form of therapy, which I feel so lucky to be able to have access to, that I was able to come to terms with that, and it completely broke my whole world apart.’

The John Wick: Chapter 4 star also revealed that it was a school teacher, telling the outlet: ‘It came to light that, that was happening in my school, basically, it was a school teacher.’

Adding that she was ‘so badly s**t shamed that I developed so much shame around my sexuality and lost completely my sense of self, I detached from my skin like inside, I don’t know how to describe it. But I just felt so afraid of things. And I’d have anxiety attacks,’ she told the outlet.

The star further said: ‘Seventeen to me is a child, you’re in school, you have no autonomy most of the time, and especially if you’re in a school setting, if a school teacher is coming on to you, that’s an abuse of power. I didn’t realize that until I was his age,’ she said during her interview.

Trauma: The John Wick: Chapter 4 star also revealed that it was a school teacher, telling the outlet: ‘It came to light that, that was happening in my school, basically, it was a school teacher.; seen May 31, 2023 in London

Star power: Rina made her acting debut in 2019 in Turn Up Charlie, and her film debut in Joh Wick: Chapter 4, which was released in 2023; seen March 20, 2023 in Hollywood

Rina, who was born in Japan but raised in the UK, was part of a group called Lazy Lion as a teen.

She began her solo career in February 2013; she has two albums under her belt: Sawayama in 2020.

Rina made her acting debut in 2019 in Turn Up Charlie, and her film debut in Joh Wick: Chapter 4, which was released in 2023.