Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother, she was left to fend for herself and her siblings, surviving on food stamps. As if that wasn’t enough, she would later face a life-threatening battle with cancer.

Hollywood may seem like a place where fame runs in the family, but for this remarkable woman, life was anything but glamorous.

Born in 1961 in sunny Santa Monica, this famous woman’s childhood was far from the picture-perfect dream.Her parents were high school sweethearts deeply in love. However, two years later, her mother sent her and her sisters to live with their paternal grandmother. The TV star’s grandmother was a hard-working, coupon-clipping cafeteria worker who managed to create a warm and joyful home, always filled with the comforting scent of something freshly baked.

After four years, the mother reappeared with a new husband, and the family relocated to Washington, where life spiraled into chaos.

At just 11 years old, the future TV personality found herself thrust into the role of caretaker for her four younger siblings. Her mother, Vicky, was not only physically abusive but also a prescription drug addict who spent most days in bed.

The TV star was left to manage cooking, cleaning, and schoolwork for the family while scraping by on welfare and food stamps. With limited money, even a few dollars could mean the difference between eating or going hungry for the last days of the month.

”On the way home [from the store], I had to ride very carefully so that the full plastic bags hanging from my handlebars wouldn’t swing and break the eggs,” she shared in her memoir.

Sadly, the real struggle came when she could no longer protect her siblings from their mother’s destructive behavior. One evening, after calling 911 when her mother swallowed a bottle of pills, things escalated. According to her memoir, her mother beat her so badly that her ”eyes were swollen” and her body was ”covered in welts.”