Celebrity Celebrity Legal & Lawsuits Sinead O'Connor Details Years of Physical and Sexual Abuse at the Hands of Her Mother: 'She Ran a Torture Chamber' On Tuesday, Sinead O'Connor will discuss the years of abuse she endured from her mother on Dr. Phil By Maria Pasquini Maria Pasquini Maria Pasquini is the staff editor for human interest’s digital vertical at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2017. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 11, 2017 04:21PM EDT Sinead O’Connor is opening up about the horrifying sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother in an emotional interview on Dr. Phil. The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer, speaking with Dr. Phil McGraw, detailed how her mother Marie O’Connor “ran a torture chamber” and tormented her until she ran away from home at 13. The interview is scheduled to air Tuesday, but the Daily Mail released a clip early. “She was not well. She was very, very, very not well. I would say she was possessed. Although I’m not sure I believe in such things,” O’Connor, 50, said. “She ran a torture chamber. It was a torture chamber. She was a person who took delight and smile in hurting you.” RELATED VIDEO: Sinead O’Connor Says She Is Suicidal in Distressed Facebook Video Posted From a N.J. Motel When asked how long she endured the abuse, O’Connor replied, “ ‘Til I was 13.” “I ran away,” the singer added. “She used to make me say over and over ‘I am nothing. I am nothing’ or else she’d beat me.” Marie O’Connor died decades ago in a car crash when Sinead was 19 years old. O’Connor has made headlines in recent years for her erratic behavior – most recently posting an emotional video from a motel room in New Jersey pleading for help after leaving her family in Ireland. Despite this, she denied that she is mentally unstable, telling Dr. Phil, “I am fed up of being defined as the crazy person; the child abuse survivor.” She blasted her family for allegedly abandoning her: “What happened was I had been writing to my family, begging letters and angry letters.” She added, “I thought it would be better, maybe my family might [reach out to me], if they saw how I’m feeling, they would relate to it.” “Did they watch?” Dr. Phil asked. “No,” O’Connor replied. On Aug. 3, O’Connor posted an emotional video on Facebook saying she was living alone in a Travelodge in the “arse end of New Jersey” after leaving her family in Ireland “because they didn’t care”. O’Connor went on to state that she had been suffering from suicidal thoughts for the past two years but was determined on “staying alive”, adding: “I am only one of millions and millions and millions of people who are just like me”. “Mental illness, it’s a bit like drugs, it doesn’t give a s— who you are,” the singer continued. “And you know what’s worse? The stigma doesn’t give a shit who you are.” “I’m not going to die, I’m not going to die but still this is no way for people to be living,” she said. A statement later posted to the star’s Facebook page confirmed that she was “safe” and “not suicidal”, adding that she was “surrounded by love and receiving the best of care” “She asked for this to be posted knowing you are concerned for her,” the message added. “I hope this comforts those of you were concerned.”