Kadie Don clearly remembers the shocking moment her mother explained she had become pregnant by her own father, and that she was the child from that pregnancy. 

Aged 13, confused and shocked, Kadie asked: 'So are you my mum or my sister now?'

As a bewildered child, she struggled to make sense of it. But five years on, Kadie, now 18, is speaking out with the aim of supporting other children who live with trauma.

Kadie, from Oldham, says: 'I've never met anyone in the same situation as me and it can be a lonely place. 

'I want to be there for other kids, to let them know they are not on their own. Knowing the truth has ultimately brought me and Mum so much closer. People say how alike we are – but they have no idea just how much we share.'

Kadie's mother, Stace Don, 37, was physically and mentally abused by her natural father, Nigel Taylor. 

She spent much of her childhood in foster care and her brief spells staying with him were scarred by neglect and cruelty. 

Aged 17, she went to stay with Taylor for Christmas because she had nowhere else to go. But he took away her bank card and phone and refused to let her leave for six months afterwards. 

On the eve of her 18th birthday in April 2007 Taylor forced himself on her and she fell pregnant. 

Despite Taylor trying to coerce her into having a termination, Stace bravely continued with her pregnancy and Kadie was born in February 2008.

Stace had no further contact with her father but when Kadie was two and a half, she went to the police and made a complaint. 

Taylor was jailed for seven years in April 2011 at Basildon Crown Court after admitting sexual activity with a child family member. 

He was ordered to sign the sexual offenders' register and ordered to stay away from Stace. A charge of rape was left to lie on file.

Meanwhile Kadie grew up not knowing who her father was.

She says: 'Mum was brilliant. When I was small, she painted a princess bedroom for me. She made a big fuss at Christmas and birthdays. I went to dance class and acting lessons. I didn't even question who my dad was; Mum was enough.'

But by the age of 13, she was becoming curious.

She says: 'Mum never let me play out or go on sleepovers. She was overprotective and I didn't know why. 

'I wanted to know why I didn't have a dad, or a grandfather. Even my friends from single parent families knew who their dads were but I didn't even know his name. 

'One Saturday morning, I got up early and I was halfway out of the window, off to meet my friends, when Mum caught me. 

'She agreed to give me a little bit of freedom, just on our street. She let me go to the corner shop one day and I was followed by a man in a white van. I ran home, screaming. 

'Mum was so afraid, she had always worried about him tracking us down, and so she finally had to tell me the truth. 

'I was only 13 and I couldn't take it in. I asked: "Does that make you my sister?" which really upset her.

'I rebelled, insisting I wanted to meet him to make up my own mind. I didn't doubt he was a bad person but I wanted to see that for myself. 

'Mum agreed I could meet a paternal aunt who told me Nigel Taylor was a West Ham fan and I really wanted to know more details about him. It was part of my identity, no matter how difficult. 

'But when she said I looked like him, I was appalled. I didn't want that, I didn't want any physical connection with him.'

For several years, Kadie kept the truth about her natural father hidden.

She says: 'Mum tried to get support from social services, but they said they'd never come across a case like ours before. They didn't know what to suggest or how to support us. 

'As time went on, Mum told me more, explaining she had been raised in foster care because her parents could not look after her. 

'But in her teens, Nigel Taylor, her father, took her to live with him. He was physically, mentally and sexually abusive to her. 

'And on the eve of her 18th birthday he forced himself on her and she fell pregnant. Mum told me she loved me from that first moment.'

Taylor had allegedly threatened to kill Stace if she ever admitted he was the father of her child.

Kadie says: 'That was why Mum was so protective. She was living in fear that he would one day find us. 

'I'd always known Mum was strong. But hearing what she'd been through, I was overwhelmed. I understood why she had kept the truth from me for as long as she could.'

But the revelation weighed heavy on Kadie also. Like Stace, she became anxious and overprotective.

Kadie says: 'I looked after my mum, as she looked after me. With no support for either of us, I became a young carer. Mum was open about what she had been through, but I wasn't ready to speak out. 

'I confided in a school friend and he told everyone, which was devastating at the time. Some kids were quite cruel. But mostly, people were very supportive and I was glad it was out there. I realised I had nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide.'

Aged 18, Kadie has just finished a college course in health and social care. Stace has launched 'Safe, Seen and Heard', a series of preventative programmes to educate and support teenagers and adults, raising awareness of healthy boundaries and safe spaces.

Kadie says: 'I would like to support children and teenagers through trauma; nobody should feel alone. Mum is incredibly strong and loving and she is a survivor. I am proud when people say how alike we are.'

Stace says: 'I'm really proud of Kadie speaking out and think she is incredible. I've always protected her but Kadie has been affected by the aftermath of my trauma and the complexities. 

'I advocate for people to speak out and I think my daughter is so brave. Now she is 18 I want her to have her voice and not be silenced.'

The family's story is told in My Girl, a book written by Stace Don: www.thelifeofstacedon.org.uk