Whitney Houston's traumatic family secret she took with her to the grave

Whitney self-medicated with drugs in an attempt to escape the horrors of her childhood abuse [Image: Getty Images]

Whitney Houston was nursing a deep hurt that she never told her family about at the time of her death.

The global superstar was just 48 when her body was found in the bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11 2012 - and an inquest revealed she'd died with cocaine, cannabis and a number of pills in her system.