Jaslene Gonzalez recently won the seventh cycle of America’s Next Top Model. The lovely latina’s spicy brand of spunk really impressed the judges. Unfortunately, behind Jas’s pretty eyes lies a sad secret. The 21 year old told Seventeen  that she was embroiled in an abusive relationship that almost destroyed her confidence.

As she tells the mag, “I wasn't having my rest or eating the food I wanted to eat. So I mentally gave up, but I still did what I had to do.” Jaslene appears on the cover of the July edition of the magazine and is featured in a six-page layout as part of her Top Model winnings.

When asked to give advice to others who may find themselves in a similar situation to Jas, she says, “I can give so much advice, but it starts within yourself.” She encourages folks to get help by talking to somebody “because once you talk about it, you hear it, and then you understand what you're going through. That's what it took for me to let go.”