Soul singer PP Arnold has claimed she was once raped by Ike Turner.
The 1960s soul singer made the claim in her forthcoming memoir, Soul Survivor.
Arnold performed as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Revue, comprising Ike and Tina Turner, who were then husband and wife though they later divorced in 1978.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, in promotion of her new book, Arnold, now 75, discussed her allegations against the late Turner, who died in 2007, aged 76.
Some readers may find details in this article upsetting.
Arnold told the outlet that in the mid-1960s, Turner trapped her in a room and raped her. Following the alleged sexual assault, Arnold says she struggled with her anger towards him.
“What can I say? It was awful. I despised Ike on that level, but I didn’t know how to express myself,” Arnold said.
“I was told Tina wanted to get rid of me because Ike was after me,” she added. “If I had run to Tina or called my parents, it would have meant I would have [had] to come home.”
The Independent has reached out to Tina Turner’s rep for comment.
According to Arnold, going back home would have meant returning to her husband’s violence. She further told the outlet that she and her husband David were forced to marry after an attempt at a coat hanger abortion had failed.
At age 15, Arnold went on to give birth to her son Kevin, and at 17 years old, she had her daughter Debbie.
The “First Cut is the Deepest” singer’s memoir additionally details her relationship with Jimi Hendrix, making her way in the music industry, her marriage to Jim Morris, and the tragic death of her daughter, who was killed in a car accident at the age of 13.
Despite the devastations Arnold disclosed in her tell-all memoir, she provides a note of optimism.
“Well, I could do with one. What’s important is where I am right now,” she said. “How can I take all of these years of experience and just do something really great?”
Soul Survivor will be released on Thursday (7 July).
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.
