Charlize Theron explains how she feels now after her mother killed father when she was a teen

Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.

Charlize Theron has opened up about how she now feels after her mum shot her dad dead in self-defence as he was trying to kill them.

In a harrowing interview with the New York Times, the Mad Max star revealed that when she was 15 years old her father had attempted to shoot both her and her mum at their home in South Africa where she grew up before moving to the US.

Theron, 50, recalled how tensions between her parents had been worsening for several months, as her alcoholic father had become increasingly aggressive, and her mum realised their relationship had reached a point where she needed to leave him.

She told how one evening she had seen her dad pulling into their driveway through her bedroom window, saying: "The way that he drove into that property that night, I can’t explain it to you. I just knew something bad was going to happen."

Theron grew up in South Africa (Brianna Bryson/WireImage/Getty)

The political tension towards the end of apartheid in South Africa at the time meant that the house had steel doors, but her father 'broke into the house' by shooting the doors.

"Our country was on the brink of civil war," Theron recalled.

She said: "He shot through the steel doors to get in, making it very clear that he was going to kill us. His brother was with him as well.

"We knew it was serious, and so by the time he broke into the first gate, my mom ran to the safe to get her gun. She came into my bedroom.

"The two of us were holding the door with our bodies because there wasn’t a lock on it. And he just stepped back and started shooting through the door."

Theron said that by lucky chance 'not one bullet hit us'.

"It’s insane when you think about it that way," she said. "But the messaging was very clear. I’m going to kill you tonight. You think I can’t come into this door? Watch me. I’m going to go to the safe. I’m going to get the shotgun."

Theron recalled how her mum shot her dad in self-defence (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for Christian Dior)

Theron continued: "He walked to the safe, and my mom pulled the door open while the brother was still standing there.

"The brother ran down the hallway, and she shot one bullet down the hallway that ricocheted seven times and shot him in the hand. It’s stuff you can’t explain.

"And then she followed my father, who was by then opening the safe to get more weapons out, and she shot him."

Now, the star has explained that she feels it is important to speak out about her experience.

"I think these things should be talked about because it makes other people not feel alone," she said.

Theron added: "These things are prevalent in a lot of homes. Women really get a very, very unfair shake, even in this country. Nobody takes it seriously, the situation that they’re in. And I don’t think anybody took my mom seriously."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.