Paris Hilton on intention behind 'Barbie persona'

Paris Hilton is opening up about her coping mechanism to past trauma.

The socialite, 44, detailed her teenage years at a Utah boarding school in a recent interview with Grazia magazine.

Hilton claimed that she was "physically and sexually abused" during her two years at Provo Canyon School, where her parents had sent her over being a rebellious teen.

"I had created this kind of Barbie doll, "perfect life", character to be like a mask. I didn't want to talk about certain things. People wouldn't even think to ask any traumatising questions. It was this whole protection over the pain," she told the outlet.

The hotel heiress expressed relief at the recent passing of The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in December.

"In DC they'd never seen something pass so fast. I'm just really proud that I kept going back and telling my story. No one has done anything to protect these kids. It's not over yet I'm going to continue to fight because there's so much more to do. I hope that's why people call me iconic," the mom-of-two added.