Hollywood actress Halle Berry has said that she was once attracted to abusive men because of her horrific past.

The 42-year-old Oscar-award-winning beauty regularly witnessed her father attack her mother when she was growing up and says it affected her choice in partners, Femalefirst reported.

"My mother was a battered woman and that was my childhood for a good chunk of it. Early on in my life, I made choices, and I chose men that were abusive because that was what I knew growing up," Berry said.

The 'Monster's Ball' star later underwent a therapy to understood how to react when a relationship became violent.

The American actress has also used her past experiences to help domestic abuse victims and works closely with the Jenesse Center, a Los Angeles-based shelter which provides support to such women.