Evelyn Yang, wife of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, told CNN in an interview that she was sexually assaulted by a New York gynecologist who has been accused of abuse by more than two dozen patients.

She discussed keeping the incident a secret from everyone in her life and how the support for their son's autism led her to go public with her story.

"Something about being on the trail and meeting people and seeing the difference that we've been making already has moved me to share my own story about it, about sexual assault," Yang said to CNN.

She described going to see Dr. Robert Hadden at the renowned facilities at Columbia University when things took a disgraceful turn at the seven-month mark of her pregnancy.

"I was in the exam room, and I was dressed and ready to go. Then, at the last minute, he kind of made up an excuse. He said something about, 'I think you might need a C-section,' and he proceeded to grab me over to him and undress me and examine me internally, ungloved," she recalled. "I knew it was wrong. I knew I was being assaulted."

Evelyn discussed keeping the secret for years, not telling her family, parents or even her husband, Andrew.

"I didn't tell Andrew or my family because I didn't want to upset them," she said. "I thought, 'This happened to me. I can process this. I can deal with it. I can compartmentalize it.' I certainly didn't want Andrew blaming himself for not being able to go with me to these doctor's visits because honestly, if he was with me in the room, if anyone was with me in the room, this obviously wouldn't have happened."

According to her attorney, Yang has joined 29 other women in a civil lawsuit against Hadden, the hospital system where he worked, as well as its affiliates.

"Everyone has their own MeToo story. It's far too prevalent," Yang added. "But not everyone can tell their story. Not everyone has the audience or platform to tell their story, and I actually feel like I'm in this very privileged position to be able to do that."

Upon the story being aired Thursday night, there was an outpouring of support for Evelyn, with #WeLoveYouEvelynYang reaching Twitter's trending list.

Evelyn-Yang

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week