Ruby Rose reveals her late father’s heartbreaking secret after his death – and declares: ‘I forgive you’
Ruby Rose has opened up about her late father and the devastating years of abuse he suffered at numerous orphanages and boys’ homes while growing up.
The Australian actress’s heartfelt comments came after she revealed her dad, Peter, had died just days out from Christmas.
‘RIP Dad. You leave me. Alone. With so many complex emotions,’ she wrote in a caption shared to her Instagram Stories.
The 38-year-old shared pictures of her late father with her followers on Christmas while detailing the difficult relationship they had shared over the year.
‘R.I.P and Merry Christmas Dad,’ Rose wrote.
‘I am glad we reconnected a few years ago, not because you had changed all that much, not because it brought me all that much joy, it’s actually been very hard. You know that.
‘You were very hard. I cut you off twice in that time lol. Once for a year. But our last emails were right before you died. Mine was a kind email and I’m glad.’
Rose revealed her father had endured a tumultuous childhood and suffered abuse while at St Augustine’s Boys’ Orphanage and other boys’ homes across Melbourne.
Ruby Rose has revealed her father, who died just two days before Christmas, had suffered abuse while at orphanages and boys’ homes when he was a child
Rose did not reveal the cause of her father Peter’s (pictured) death, but hinted the pair had a difficult relationship
She also slammed former Christian Brother William Houston who is currently behind bars after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two boys at St Augustine’s.
‘I found it very hard to hear about what happened to you as a child,’ she wrote.
‘What happened to all of your siblings at the hands of St Augustine’s and other orphanages and boys homes in Melbourne. Brother Houston I hope you rot in jail.’
In 2021, Houston was sentenced to seven years in jail for buggery and three counts of indecent assault for abusing two boys, who were wards of the state, in their beds when he was a dormitory supervisor at St Augustine’s in Highton in the 1960s.
The 86-year-old was already serving a jail sentence after he was found guilty in 2016 for abusing six other boys at the orphanage in the 1960s.
Rose did not reveal her father’s cause of death but did hint at their difficult relationship.
She explained knowing about her father’s abuse helped her understand him better but did not excuse the suffering she endured at his hands.
‘None of this undoes the abuse I incurred down the line, but it helped me understand you,’ Rose wrote.
‘To try to understand you was to love you. R.I.P dad I’m very sorry no one protected you. I’m very sorry life was not so much more.
‘I’m devastated really. You’re probably blown away by how sad I am. if you can see me.’
Rose explained knowing about her father’s abuse helped her understand him better but did not excuse the abuse she suffered at his hands (pictured, Ruby and her father)
Rose ended her post by declaring that she had forgiven her father despite him never apologising for the abuse she faced.
‘I don’t think you ever really said sorry. Not really. You didn’t know where to begin, but I forgave you. And I still do,’ she wrote.
The former video jockey grew up in country Victoria on a farm with her mother Katia and dad Peter, who was a racehorse breeder.
Her parents split when Rose was just one year old and she grew up as a ‘gypsy kid’ and ‘moved around a lot’ between Churchill, Gippsland, Surfers Paradise and Melbourne.
Social media followers praised Rose for the emotional post, with many wishing her strength while on her road to forgiveness.
‘Thanks for the vulnerability of sharing this. It’s hard to understand when we’re grown and our parents don’t change. Your approach is inspiring, thank you,’ one person wrote.
‘Damn. This is rough. Breaking that cycle is the most impactful thing you can do,’ a second commented.
A third added: ‘Sorry for what you’ve endured I could only imagined how painful it was. Nothing can take away the pain but I hope you’ve found some peace and forgiveness both for dad and yourself’.
