Mischa Barton recalled the moment she discovered a sex tape of her was being shopped in an upcoming sit-down with Dr. Phil McGraw.
“Several months ago,” the actress began in a newly released “Dr. Phil” clip, “it got to me because somebody came up to me on the street, outside of the building leaving, and said ‘there’s something I need to tell you.’”
After reports surfaced an ex-boyfriend was pedaling around nude footage of the former “OC” star, an attorney for Barton, 31, issued a statement saying her client had been a victim of revenge porn as the X-rated tape had been filmed without her consent.
“I didn’t believe it at first, I couldn’t believe it because I had loved this person and I didn’t think it was possible, and I later learned that it was entirely possible,” Barton shared.
“It was obviously complete emotional blackmail, it as one of those things where I needed to distance myself from all of these people immediately because there’s not much you can do; it’s really out of your hands, and it was a crime,” she said.
Though Barton acknowledged she made a mistake by putting herself in the situation, the British-born starlet said the emotional abuse has continued for the last several months. Barton has since obtained restraining orders against ex-boyfriend Jon Zacharias, who allegedly took intimate photos and videos, in addition to a former beau Adam Shaw, who is said to have copied the content from Zacharias’ computer.