During an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Mo’Nique‘s older brother, Gerald Imes, apologized for sexually abusing her when she was seven. “I’m sorry, Mo’Nique. I’m sorry,” he said. “I betrayed everybody’s trust. I broke that trust. I broke that bond.” He claims the abuse started when he was 13, as a result of being abused himself. He said: “I started using cocaine, heroin, alcohol at the age of 11. I used these drugs to hide my own pain, to hide my own fears… The drugs allowed me and afforded me the opportunity to hurt my sister.” Imes was later sentenced to 12 years in prison for assaulting another girl. He is now desperate to repair his relationship with Mo’Nique. He added: “I can only hope by coming forth today… that somewhere down the line. we can come back together as siblings. I understand your pain. I truly think, let’s share this together and move on.” Mo’Nique said earlier that the experience helped her get into character for her Oscar-winning role in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, in which she played an abusive mother. At the time, she revealed: “I was molested by my older brother. And even when I confronted him and told my parents, he said I was lying, and nothing was really done. My brother was a monster to me.” She has not responded to his apology.