A WOMAN has spoken for the first time about the pain she suffered after being told her husband was actually her father.

Valerie Spruill said that an uncle told her the truth about her husband, Percy Spruill, six years after he had died in 1989.

The 60-year-old woman from a village called Doylestown of less than 3000 people in Wayne County, Ohio, has decided to speak out about her shocking family situation in the hope that it will inspire those going through a rough time, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

"I want this to be more of an inspirational story," Valerie told the Akron Beacon Journal

"If I've come through this, anyone can come through anything through the help of the Lord."

Valerie said that Percy Spruill, married her mother when he was 15 and she is uncertain how many children they had though she is aware of six brothers.

Valerie was put in the care of her grandmother at three-months-old. It wasn't until the age of nine that Valerie discovered that it was her grandfather, not her father who was caring for her. She also later found that one of three women who visited her from time-to-time was in fact her mother, Christine.

Valerie said she can't say for certain whether Percy was aware of the extent of their relationship, though she believes he did know and was simply too afraid to tell her.

In 2004, Valerie confirmed that her late husband was her father with the help of a DNA test.

She is still seeing a therapist to come to terms with the difficult revelation but said the story "needs to be told, because children need to know where they come from."

"And I know it hurts, because I have been devastated by this," she said.

Valerie said she decision to go public was in hope of finding more siblings.

"My biggest goal is to find them and let 'em know that [their mother] loved them, no matter what," she said. "And [to say], 'Thank God she gave you away like she did me, so you could have a beautiful life.'"