Pattie Mallette
Jade Small
Jade Small
December 30, 2023Ā Ā·Ā  4Ā min read

The Tough life of Pattie Mallette

Child stars have been known to have complicated lives. What with their demanding schedules going in and out of auditions and performances while balancing school into the picture? But no one really stops to think about the parents of these stars. Good thing for us, Pattie Mallette, the mother of world-famous heart-throb Justin Bieber, has written a memoir of her youth. Riddled with abuse and heartache, she has risen from the ashes with her boy holding her hand every step.

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The early life of Pattie Mallette

Pattie Mallette, the mother of pop star Justin Bieber, has faced numerous challenges throughout her life. Born on April 2, 1975, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, she grew up in a single-parent household. Raised by her mother, Diane. Her father left their family when Pattie was just two years old.

However, Pattieā€™s childhood was not without its struggles. At the young age of three, she was sexually abused, a traumatic experience that would profoundly shape her life. The abuse caused her to struggle with shame and guilt, and as she got older, she began to turn to drugs to numb her pain. That kind of trauma made her judge herself. She carried shame with her for most of her life. ā€œIā€™ve learned itā€™s normal and natural for anybody whoā€™s been through sexual abuse to carry that shame and that blame and feel like thereā€™s something wrong with you,ā€ she said on the TODAY show.

Things went south

As a teenager, Pattie Mallette was rebellious. She started drinking and smoking pot, all influenced by a notoriously bad crowd. Furthermore, they were known to shoplift. When she was 15 years old, she was out drinking when she got date raped. This was how she lost her virginity. This was where she hit rock bottom and tried to take her life. She ended up in a psychiatric ward for 19 days. While in the psychiatric institution, she met someone who kickstarted a change in her life, a pastor whom she calls her ā€œspiritual dad.ā€

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A post shared by Pattie Mallette (@pattiemallette)

Then, Pattie Mallette met Jeremy Bieber, Justinā€™s father. Most of their relationship was not exactly healthy, and it took them a period of 4 years, on and off again, dating till she finally let him go. She fell pregnant at 17 years old with Jeremyā€™s child. Many people encouraged her to get an abortion, but she refused. ā€œWhen I got pregnant I just went, whoa, now Iā€™m responsible for another life and I really need to get my stuff together. I feel like, with my past, I didnā€™t deserve to have the most amazing child that I have,ā€ she said, at 37 years old. ā€œBut itā€™s almost in spite of me, with Godā€™s amazing grace and mercy that we are where we are today.ā€

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Pattie Mallette and Christianity

We mentioned before that Pattie connected with a pastor while she was at the psychiatric ward. She wrote about her gratitude for her faith. But she is honest about how a connection wasnā€™t as clear as others might experience. For Justin Bieberā€™s mom, the road to faith was a bumpy one, full of ups and downs. ā€œItā€™s definitely a lifelong process,ā€ she said. ā€œThe journey of my faith is not in a neat tidy bow. Itā€™s a little messy, and itā€™s raw and itā€™s real, but that was my experience. In sharing my faith Iā€™m not necessarily preaching or telling people how they should do it. Iā€™m just sharing my experience and what got me through.ā€

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A post shared by Pattie Mallette (@pattiemallette)

One thing she had faith in without a single doubt, is her son, Justin Bieber. The two have always been really close, sharing a bond with her son that many mothers might envy, and few understand. she tried to shield him from her background for as long as possible. But, as he grew older she knew she had to be the one to tell him of her past traumas. ā€œI didnā€™t let him hear my story until he was about 12 years old,ā€ she says. ā€œHe heard it for the first time and he had some tears. It opened up the door for some conversation. Weā€™ve talked through the issues, finding child words for the grown-up issues.ā€

Keep Reading: Heath Ledgerā€™s Co-stars Gave His 2-Year-Old Daughter Their Salaries as He Did Not Include Her in His Will

Sources

  1. ā€œJustin Bieberā€™s mom, Pattie Mallette, pens book on abuse, faith, sex and her boy.ā€ The Star. Shawna Richer. September 25, 2012.
  2. ā€œ10 Things You Didnā€™t Know About Justin Bieberā€™s Mom, Pattie Mallette.ā€ Cosmopolitan. Mehera Bonner. April 10, 2018.