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Leah Remini Completes First College Semester Aged 51 After Living Most Of Her Life 'In A Cult'

Home> News

Published 16:14 9 May 2022 GMT+1

Leah Remini Completes First College Semester Aged 51 After Living Most Of Her Life 'In A Cult'

Leah Remini has spoken out after completing her first college semester

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

Leah Remini has spoken out after completing her first college semester.

The 51-year-old left the Church of Scientology in 2013 after spending 34 years devoting her life to it.

Last year, Remini shared the news she would be going to New York University School of Professional Studies - an aspiration she never thought she would be able to pursue coming from 'a cult'.

She's since updated fans as to how the first semester has gone.

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Leah Remini has opened up about completing her first semester at college.
Alamy

Remini admitted it 'hasn't been easy' going to college for the first time aged 51, 'after living most of [her] life in a cult and only having an eighth grade education'.

However she reflected: "But I took my first NYU final exams this week and I'm glad I decided to educate myself.

"It's never too late. It's tough, but it's worth it."

Remini first shared news of her plans to go to collage with fans in 2021, posting her letter of acceptance to Instagram.

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She told followers how 'excited' she was and how much she 'wanted to share' the news with them.

"For someone like me, a person who desperately wanted a higher education and options in my life, coming from a cult and a family who didn’t value an education, this is a very big day for me. This didn’t come easy.

"This is one of the last chunks of my life that I am taking back for myself from Scientology. It took a lot for me to take this step, for fear that I was not smart enough, not worthy enough, not able to do the work that will be required, my age.... I did it anyway with a lot of encouragement from a very special person in my life," she said.


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Remini thanked the university for 'believing' in her, as well as John from Innovative Education Solutions.

"You are an amazing man and anyone needing someone to cheer them on, to walk them through this (sometimes) intimidating process, who are scared to take this first step, should choose you!

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," she said.

Remini first joined the Church of Scientology when she was just nine years old.

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Since cutting ties, Remini has spoken out about the group and its former members' culture of 'abuse, heartbreak and harassment' in docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.

Remini took part in the docuseries to try and 'shed light on information that makes the world aware of what is really going on and encourages others to speak up so the abuses can be ended forever'.

The actress even called out Tom Cruise for a time where he allegedly 'basically yelled at [her] and told [her she was] not doing enough' for the organisation.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]  

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Celebrity, US News

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

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