Pamela Anderson, star of “Baywatch,” talks about surviving paparazzi, tabloids, and a stolen sex tape.

In an exclusive interview with Jim Axelrod for “Sunday Morning,” “Baywatch” icon and author-actress-model Pamela Anderson discusses the trauma she suffered as a child, her six marriages, and the infamous sex tape, which will air on CBS on January 15 and be streamed on Paramount+.

Anderson tells Axelrod about watching her father drown her kittens and punching him when he held her mother’s head to the stove during an interview at her remote home on Vancouver Island.

“These were turning points in my life,” Anderson says.

Anderson stated that she is attempting to put her past behind her. She also discusses her past in a new book, “Love, Pamela,” as well as a Netflix documentary.

Anderson stated that trauma shaped her childhood, beginning with her abusive father. She was then sexually abused by a babysitter, whom she describes as “a female predator, so that was difficult to understand.” She also claimed she was raped at the ages of 12 and 14.

“The whole point isn’t to keep those secrets or things buried,” Anderson explained to Axelrod.

Anderson made it through those years and became a household name thanks to appearances on 14 Playboy magazine covers, movies, and the TV show “Baywatch.” She also rose to national prominence after a sex tape she made with her then-husband, Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee was stolen and made public in 1996.

What information does she want the public to know about the tape? “It was stolen property, two crazy naked people in love,” she explained. “We were naked all the time, filming each other and being silly, but those tapes were never meant to be seen by anyone else. And I haven’t seen it since… It was extremely painful.”

She claimed that focusing on her two young sons with Lee helped her get through the difficult times. “I used to be a mother. That saved my life “Anderson explained. “You know, I don’t think I would have survived if I hadn’t been a mother.”

Anderson also discusses her career, healing, and why she returned to Vancouver Island, far from Hollywood, and the headlines that made her famous, with Axelrod.

“I feel like I left here, did something crazy, and returned in one piece,” Anderson explained. “I don’t know what I’m capable of, as I previously stated. I’m still not sure, but I believe that was the start… Everything else is, you know, behind me. I feel like I’m in a great place.”