Salman's ex-girlfriend Somy Ali says she was sexually abused at the age of 5

Former Bollywood actress Somy Ali, who started her career at the age of 16 and later became famous as Salman Khan’s girlfriend, has now written an autobiography where she says that she was sexually abused when she was five years old. Mid-Day quotes Ali as saying, “I was sexually assaulted by a house-help when I was just five. When I am invited for a talk at high schools and universities in the US, I share this with the students. I believe sharing my personal experiences would encourage others to speak out and not be ashamed about being a victim.” [caption id=“attachment_2182483” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Somy Ali in a file photo. Ibnlive[/caption] Ali, who now works with sexual abuse victims, says while growing up she had seen many of her mother’s friends being abused. According to Mid-Day she says, “I grew up amidst an atmosphere of domestic violence in Pakistan and many of my mom’s friends were victims of physical abuse as well. When I would ask my mom about the bruises on their bodies, I was always told that X aunty or Y aunty fell down the stairs. This was the standard, universal euphemism for physical abuse.” Ali had first wanted to move to India after watching Salman Khan’s film Maine Pyar Kiya. She had a crush on the actor, and even ended up dating him. The actress, whose relationship with Salman was much talked about, dated him for about eight years. According to CNN-IBN, “Ali met Salman through a common friend and they dated for about eight years before their split in 1999-2000. The rumors, after their split, suggested that Ali was not fond of Salman’s drinking habits and his aggressive behaviour.” There was also this rumour that Salman had broken a Cola bottle on her head. Ali denied it saying, “The episode was wrongly narrated, Salman was unhappy about her trying alcohol and so he threw her drink in the table.”