Playboy saved my life: Pamela Anderson

Supermodel-actor Pamela Anderson has opened up about sexual abuse and credited Playboy magazine for saving her life.

The 50-year-old actor, who shot to fame after being named Playmate of the Month for the magazine in February 1990, said it empowered her as a young girl, who was a "painfully shy" child after she was molested by a babysitter in her childhood.

"I was molested as a child by a bad female babysitter, who is no longer alive. And my first experiences with men were not consensual.

"I was painfully shy as a child. As a young girl, Playboy empowered me. It really saved my life. I felt very trapped inside and needed to free myself. It was a breakthrough for me, and there I met artistes and activists and gentleman. It has been a fun and wildlife," Anderson told US Weekly.

The "Baywatch" alum also talked about the recent sexual misconduct scandal in Hollywood.

She said the showbiz is not one of her "favourite" places but if someone wished for a life where they must "play the game".

"Hollywood is difficult. It is not my favourite place to be. But it is a business, and if this is the life you want, you play the game. I'm happy to be living in France now. Hollywood is too much. I'd rather use my energy in other ways," Anderson said.

Last year, she was criticised for suggesting that Harvey Weinstein's accusers knew what they were "getting into" by "going into a hotel room alone" with the producer, who has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct and rape.