Actress Rachael Taylor opens up about domestic violence at women's lunch gala

Actress and model Rachael Taylor stunned a room full of Australia's most powerful women on Thursday (03Apr14) by opening up about her domestic violence ordeal at the hands of an ex and offering to help others struggling through abuse.

The Transformers star was speaking at the David Jones and Crown Resorts Autumn Racing Ladies Lunch in Sydney when she candidly talked about becoming a victim after admitting it was a "difficult thing to talk about".

She said, "The one thing (that) is profoundly distressing... is that loss of self-value and self-esteem... the female self-worth is of such profound importance."

Taylor added, "(But) not all survivors of domestic violence get to stand up here and talk to you all about this and I feel very privileged that I do."

She then offered to chat to any of the 250 women in the room, who felt they were victims of abuse, adding, "Please come and talk to me if you would like. I am sitting on table 13. I want to say what is happening to you, it is not your fault."

Taylor has never named the ex who subjected her to domestic violence.