Grace Kelley, 28, daughter of country star Wynonna Judd, recalls a childhood shaped more by trauma than fame. Despite her family’s public image, she describes her early years as marked by silence, dysfunction, and pain.
Between the ages of 12 and 17, Kelley was placed in 14 different facilities while struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. “My story is so messed up,” she admitted in a July 2025 interview, reflecting on a turbulent adolescence overshadowed by instability.
Though raised in church, Kelley says her home life rarely reflected the values preached. The pressures of fame offered no protection from personal turmoil inside the family.
Kelley alleged that her former stepfather, D.R. Roach—Judd’s ex-husband and longtime bodyguard—molested her as a child. He was arrested in 2007 when she was just 10 years old and later pled guilty to attempted aggravated sexual battery. Kelley claims her mother only divorced him after the case became public.