Millie Bobby Brown Details 'Unhealthy' Relationship With TikTok Star

08/10/2022 04:32 pm EDT

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown opened up about her relationship with TikTok personality Hunter Ecimovic. Brown, 18, described it as an "unhealthy situation" that she now sees as a "blip" in her life. She began a "year of healing" after walking away from Ecimovic in January 2021. Last summer, Ecimovic claimed he had a sexual relationship with Brown when she was a minor and "groomed" her, claims Brown's team called "irresponsible."

After leaving Ecimovic behind, she channeled the trauma of their relationship into a strong performance as Eleven in Stranger Things Season 4, as seen in her showdown with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and her last scenes with the dying Papa (Matthew Modine). "I felt very vulnerable," Brown told Allure. "Also, no one on the set knew I was going through this. So it was kind of nice to be able to just deal with that myself, and no one else knew. Then it was harder when the whole world knew."

By the time Ecimovic made his shocking claims on Instagram, Brown had already started her "year of healing." She was already dating Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi when Ecimovic spoke out. Her team also denied his claims, which were "not only dishonest but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful," they said. "Instead of engaging in a public discourse with him through the press or on social media, we are taking action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all," her reps added.

The experience still has a lasting effect on Brown. "When you get publicly humiliated this way, I felt so out of control and powerless," she told Allure. "Walking away and knowing that I'm worth everything and this person didn't take anything from me, it felt very empowering. It felt like my life had finally turned a page and that I actually had ended a chapter that felt so f—ing long."

Brown hopes that her fans understand that she's not perfect either. "Ultimately, all I wanted to do within my career is help young girls and young people out there know that I, too, go through things," she said. "I'm not this perfect person that is selling skin-care products and [who is] in Stranger Things. I absolutely have made wrong decisions."

Aside from starring in Stranger Things, Brown is working on Damsel and a sequel to Enola Holmes, both for Netflix. She also launched her own beauty brand, Florence by Mills, which was developed with Gen Z-ers in mind. Brown also publishes skin care explainers on the brand's website. The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is also in development.

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