Chantelle Houghton made a rare make-up free appearance as she was photographed out and about for the first time in a few months.

The former Big Brother star, 39, donned a black top that exposed her shoulders and a pair of River Island leggings, completing the outfit with some bright yellow trainers.

Chantelle was snapped eating a Snickers bar as she enjoyed a stroll in Brentwood Essex.

The photographs come just a few weeks after she issued a worrying update on Instagram, where she shared that she had been the victim of "horror and abuse", writing: "When you look in the mirror what do you see…

"I see a girl that wasn’t ready for what she went through, I see the pain and sadness in her eyes from the horror and abuse she endured.

"BUT, what I also see is a survivor, I see her strength and her fight and I see the light from her soul that never went out, SHE is me [heart emoji]"

Chantelle continued: "My healing journey has been so rewarding, I have found out so much about myself and I don’t just like me, I love me. I appreciate life so much, the smallest things that I used to take for granted now bring me so much happiness. My self care routine has been pivotal to recovering from abuse, I am in love with life.

"Never ever let another human being destroy you, no one has power over you, this is your life, so you live it."

In a second post hinting at the abuse, she added: "I was brought to my knees, but here I am STANDING and LIVING. I owe my life to my parents and my family who never stopped supporting me and carrying me when I had no strength, I will be forever grateful. I love my life. I love life!!

"When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in, THATS what the storm is all about [prayer hands emoji]

"I will keep rising up for the people that supported me when I was broken. But mostly, don’t let any human being break or destroy you, life is precious, Amen sisters [three heart emojis]"

Chantelle recently opened up to OK! about a dark time of her life, which saw her disappear from public back in 2012, telling us: "I took quite a long break and stepped back from the public eye due to personal reasons.

"That time was quite horrific and I’m now concentrating on getting my life back together.

She’s now looking to the future and wants to use her experiences of difficult relationships, and the lessons she has learnt, to help other women.

“For me, there was nowhere I could turn, like a women’s group,” she says. “I know having access to something like that would have really helped me.”

Her plan is to now organise weekly meetings for women, offering them a place of sanctuary where they can share their stories and seek advice.

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