Jessika Power says she was in a situation “no child should ever be in”

Reality TV villain Jessika Power says she saw “a lot of things that no child should see” growing up, and reveals why she no longer speaks to her mother.

Married At First Sight veteran Jessika Power has good reason for cultivating the tough on-screen persona that polarised fans of the hit show — it is the only way she knew how to survive growing up.

From the age of 10, Power says she had to fend for herself because her mother was addicted to drugs. She believes this is the reason she has been portrayed as one of the most notable villains of Australian reality television.

“From 2000 … it was really rough growing up,” Power told The Daily Telegraph.

“I saw a lot of things that a child should never see. I was in situations a child should never be put in. I saw my mother being abused by the various men that came and went.

“There were times where there were dirty needles left around the house.

“I stayed down a year because my mum never really got me to school.

Reality star, Jessika Power has revealed her painful upbringing. Picture: Nigel Wright

Power with former boyfriend Filip Poznanovic. Picture: Nathan Richter

“My mother to this day, we don’t talk. My mum isn’t a bad person but we lost her to addiction.”

Jessika’s mum has previously told nowtolove.com.au that Jess stayed with her grandmother while she went to recovery for drug and alcohol addiction but she still believed her daughter had a happy childhood.

Three years after her stint on MAFS, Power is going for another round at the reality TV genre. This time, on Big Brother VIP, she is putting herself on the line to help kids and families in vulnerable situations, with any winnings going to Power’s chosen charity, the Australian Childhood Foundation.

With the season set to premiere on Seven next Monday, others to compete include Caitlyn Jenner, Thomas Markle Jr and Imogen Anthony.