Sophie Anderson was born in
Bristol, England, on 23 November 1987.
[2][3][4][5] Her mother walked out on the family when she was five, and Anderson and her younger sister were raised by their father.
[2][6] Her family moved to
Bradford-on-Avon and she lost her virginity to a neighbour at the age of 10.
[2] Around the same time, she began being sexually abused, knowing she could perform
fellatio on men at local
pubs in exchange for alcohol and drugs.
[4][2][7] Anderson described her mother as being "in and out of [her] life".
[2] She later gained parental access and Anderson and her sister would visit her on weekends, however she was emotionally abusive and would purposely buy Anderson clothes that were too small to ridicule her about her weight, which caused her to develop
anorexia, as well as being forced to watch her mother having sex with various men, who in turn began to molest her.
[2][8] Despite her upbringing, Anderson said she felt guilty for not reconnecting with her mother after she died from cancer.
[2] Whilst underage, she also worked in a
massage parlour.
[2][6] She took an interest in musical theatre at school and achieved A grades in her GCSEs for performing arts.
[2] She went on to enroll in
Bath College, and attended Bath Light Operatic Group as well as various auditions, including one for
The X Factor.
[2]
