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An actress has told how a notorious sex cult leader burned his initial into her crotch as she lay naked and blindfolded on a table.

Sarah Edmondson first heard about the NXIVM cult from film maker, Mark Vicente, and when she joined she hoped she would win better roles because it had several Hollywood members.

Keith Raniere decided Sarah was his property and branded her with a scorching hot iron, causing her to "screech in pain" due to the "fire on her skin".

After a decade in NXIVM where she helped recruit more followers than any other members she broke free from its spell.

This summer Raniere was found guilty of racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labour conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy and Sarah helped expose him and bring him to justice.

(Image: MDM)

(Image: NYTNS / Redux / eyevine)

His trial heard Raniere, who is awaiting sentencing, told one slave to tell her to “find other virgins” on Tinder “shorter than me, younger is fine".

The Canadian actress said she felt she had little choice but to comply because if she didn't, she claims she was told the cult would release nude photos and videotapes of her saying damaging things about family members.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Miss Edmondson told how when the cult leader branded her she asked him: "Master, would you brand me?" to which he replied "It would be an honour.”

She said: “How can the branding be anything but to say 'she is mine'? He wanted to own me.”

This summer Raniere was found guilty of racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labour conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy and Miss Edmondson expose Raniere and bring him to justice.

(Image: REUTERS)

In her new memoir Scarred, she tells how over nearly two decades Raniere built a sex cult pyramid scheme funded by millions of pounds in donations from its followers.

A secret society called DOS was part of the cult in which a harem of women serviced Raniere's sexual desires.

If they didn't do as he asked, he put them in a cage and made them hit each other with leather straps.

Sarah was unimpressed by many things at NXIVM such as the cult’s cod psychology of “personal growth” and felt stupid wearing coloured sashes, which indicated a follower’s level.

Despite this she claims the organisation’s message of “pushing on through” when faced with difficulties helped her get better acting jobs, which made passionately support it.

Raniere groomed his sex slaves, first knocking their confidence, suggesting they’d be better off single and offering to “mentor” them.

He even made them go on tortuous diets, because he liked skinny women, and to record their deepest, darkest secrets on video.

During Raniere’s trial it was claimed the leader had more than 100 “slaves”, including one as young as 15.

Sarah appeared in sci-fi series such as Stargate SG-1 before joining the cult and decided to join it to boost her career when the work dried up.