Controlled, cut off and confused... Find out which stars once belonged to a CULT!

A cult is defined as a group of people who practice excessive devotion to a figure, object or belief system. Whilst most people consider cults to be a strange and disturbing groups like The Manson Family, who were responsible for the murder of Hollywood actress Sharon Tate, others have found peace and wellbeing. Find out which stars like the Arquettes who were cult members...

The ‘Stranger Things’ star opened up about her strange upbringing which involved living in a commune in Northern California alongside six other families. She recalled it being a “beautiful” experience and looked back on it with good memories. She said: “The place we lived at was 380 acres of redwoods. It was beautiful."

The ‘Scarface’ actress got involved in the breatharianism movement after moving to Los Angeles. Ex-husband Peter Horton was filming about the Unification of the Church at the time when he decided to research the group and discovered they were a cult – who believe fresh air and sunshine is enough to keep people alive - that prompted Pfeiffer to leave. She said: "They were very controlling. I wasn't living with them but I was there a lot and they were always telling me I needed to come more. I had to pay for all the time I was there, so it was financially very draining. They believed that people in their highest state were breatharian."

The ‘101 Dalmatians’ star briefly moved to Switzerland at the age of seven, where she, alongside her family, joined spiritual movement Moral Re-Armament (MRA). Glenn left the cult 15 years later at age 22 to pursue a career in acting. She said: “Each of us had to go through that process of forgiveness. “It wasn’t easy for my parents to talk about, certainly my father. But I guess I’ve made my career figuring out the why’s of behaviour, and I did the same thing with my parents. "[For years], I wouldn't trust any of my instincts because [my beliefs] had all been dictated to me. "You basically weren't allowed to do anything, or you were made to feel guilty about any unnatural desire. If you talk to anybody who was in a group that basically dictates how you're supposed to live and what you're supposed to say and how you're supposed to feel, from the time you're seven till the time you're 22, it has a profound impact on you. It's something you have to [consciously overcome] because all of your trigger points are [wrong]."

The 'Joker' star was originally born Joaquin Rafael Bottom and raised alongside his siblings River, Rain, Liberty and Summer in the Children of God movement until the age of four. It wasn’t until Joaquin and his family left that his last name was changed to Phoenix. He said: "I think my parents thought they'd found a community that shared their ideals. Cults rarely advertise themselves as such. It's usually someone saying, 'We're like-minded people. This is a community,' but I think the moment my parents realised there was something more to it, they got out."

She belonged to a witch coven on screen, but did you know that the ‘Charmed’ actress grew up in a cult? Rose revealed in her memoir that she was in the authoritarian cult Children of God up until the age of nine before she escaped with her dad. She said: "I remember watching how the [cult’s] men were with the women, and at a very early age I decided I did not want to be like those women. They were basically there to serve the men - you were allowed to have more than one wife. “My dad and I escaped with my dad’s other wife in the middle of the night. “I remember running through a cornfield in thunder and lightning, holding my dad’s hand and running as fast as I could to keep up with him...[The cult] sent people to find us. I remember a man trying to break in with a hammer.”

The ‘Scream’ actor began his life once living on a commune. The hippie commune was spiritual and not religious which allowed them to practice whatever they wanted. Arquette’s father Lewis was Muslim whilst his mother Brenda was Jewish. They family eventually left during the late 70s after living without electricity, running water or a bathroom became too much.

Joining her brother in the commune was Patricia, the famous sibling of David Arquette. She said: "They started it with a bunch of their friends, and they wanted to kind of build this utopian society."

The former ‘Smallville’ actress pledged guilty in court to conspiracy after being named the key figure in the infamous NXIVM sex cult and pyramid scheme. In 2018, the cult was thrown into the spotlight after two whistleblowers came forward with claims of psychological and sexual abuse. Mack later admitted to cauterising vulnerable women. 'Dynasty' star Catherine Oxenberg was disgusted at the abuse her daughter India endured at the hands of the cult. She said: "It’s so many layers of disgust. When you think it can’t get worse, it does. The layers of sadism and cruelty are endless."

The ’10 Things I Hate About You’ star co-founded the Californian group Full Circle with an aim to “inspire and empower the community to co-create a better world". Andrew, who is dubbed the “guru”, promotes organic experiences to his followers which includes group meditation, crystals, candles and “soul medicine”.

The unconventional upbringing of ‘The Bachelor’ star Keira Maguire came to light after her appearance on the dating reality show in 2016. Her farther, who founded the polygamist cult, The Seaside Sect, in the 70s, had multiple wives. Keira never knew who her real mother was until the age of five. She said: "I didn't know who my mum was until I was five. It sounds strange, but it just is what it is. "I didn't even have birthdays. I think I had my first birthday when I was seven. For other people, it might be really sad. But it's not, because it's my story."