‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ Star Amanda Peterson Raped At 15, Says Family

Recently deceased Amanda Peterson, best known for her role as Cindy Mancini in Can’t Buy Me Love, was raped at the age of 15, according to her mother, who spoke of the incident in an episode of The Doctors. Peterson’s mother, Sylvia, said that the assault “affected her forever.”

“At the height of Mandy’s career, she suffered a very serious trauma,” Sylvia Peterson said of the Can’t Buy Me Love star. “She had been raped.”

“She just felt so ashamed. She didn’t want people to know.”

Amanda’s father, James, was also present and spoke of the rape, which had caused changes in Ms. Peterson’s personality and behavior.

“After that she became more defensive, less trusting,” James Peterson said on the program. “Some of the sparkle was gone.”

Almost 30 years later, Amanda was found dead of a drug overdose in her Greeley, Colorado, apartment on July 5 of this year, but, according to ABC News, the Peterson family revealed that the Can’t Buy Me Love star’s troubled adulthood stemmed from the rape. Since that assault, Amanda Peterson had lived a life filled with drug problems that included heroin and meth use, which ultimately led to several arrests.

Amanda’s brothers appeared on The Doctors as well, stating that Ms. Peterson had been clean through the last two years of her life.

“I think for her to carry the secret, this burden of the assault, must have just been overwhelming,” sister Anne-Marie said.

Aware that some might see this confession from Amanda Peterson’s family as a ploy for attention, Amanda’s father spoke about the importance of sharing their story to help other families. The father of the Can’t Buy Me Love star cautioned parents to be aware of changes in their children and of uncharacteristic behavior, according to Us Weekly.

“I want to stress why we’re here is to warn and counsel people,” James explained during the program. “We are among perhaps millions who have gone through these problems. You have to be very well attuned to what your children are doing, what they’re saying. We all have to be more aware, and that doesn’t diminish your love.”

Prior to her death, Amanda Peterson may have alluded to her rape in an interview quoted on IMDb. The quote also seems to foreshadow Ms. Peterson’s future troubles.

“It is funny you know, you spend 12 years of your life learning about things and about life, but they never really tell you how hard life really is.”

[Featured image: Amanda Peterson courtesy of Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage]