Pattie Mellette is a scriptwriter and producer – but today, she’s most known as the mother of pop sensation Justin Beiber.

However, few people know much about her and the challenges she has faced over the course of her life…

Justin Bieber is one of the biggest stars in the world, and in the eyes of many, the Canadian star has everything you can wish for.

But even famous people have issues and suffer crises – often without the public’s full awareness. Justin Bieber’s relationship with his mother, Pattie Malette, has been rocky – and considering her tough background, it’s not too shocking that things got complicated. Pattie Mallette was born on April 2, 1975, in Stratford, Ontario, and comes from a French-Canadian background. Tragically, her early childhood was marked by an unimaginable loss. When Pattie was just 2 years old, her 5-year-old sister, Sally, was struck by a car while crossing the street and sadly lost her life. This devastating event would forever leave its mark on Pattie’s family and her early years.

Pattie gave birth to Justin at the young age of 17. She was single at the time and was not unfamiliar with dealing with obstacles. According to Daily Mail, Pattie raised Justin all by herself in a low-income housing space in Canada. She had some help from her parents, Justin’s grandparents.

According to Pattie, she dealt with years and various instances of abuse and violence, starting at the age of 3. She explained:

“My offenders include a male babysitter, the grandfather of one of my friends, and neighborhood children reportedly mature beyond their years,” she says.

As she grew to the age of 14, she began to use different substances. Around this time, she was also beginning to shoplift at stores and was expelled from her school for starting a fire in the bathroom. Sadly, the book sexual abuse continued. In her book, Patti describes date rape at age 15.

”I was sexually violated so many times that as the years went by it began to feel normal. It’s a strange marriage – knowing something is wrong yet at the same time finding it familiar and commonplace,” she said.

As a child, Mallette developed a passion for acting and singing. By the age of nine, she was making appearances on local TV shows, such as Romper Room and Big Top Talent, a children’s talent program broadcast in her area.

At the age of 15, she began dating Jeremy Beiber. Their relationship lasted for four years, but the teen ran away from home at 16 years old. She scraped by through theft and selling drugs.

”My life was really painful as a child,” Mallette told George Stroumboulopoulos, as quoted by Cosmopolitan. ”I had a love for the arts that I share with Justin, and we kinda bond over that.”