Marie Osmond Recalls the ‘Life-Changing’ Advice Her Late Mother Gave Her After Being Bullied as a Teen

It sounds like Marie Osmond gets a lot of her strength and wisdom from her late mom, Olive Osmond. While chatting with her CBS costars about powerful advice they got from their moms, the Talk host opened up about the “life-changing” moment her beloved mother taught her to stand up to bullies.

“My mom wasn’t [like], ‘Do this’ … it was [taught by] example,” Marie, 60, explained to Sharon Osbourne, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sheryl Underwood and Eve while cohosting The Talk in quarantine on Wednesday, May 13. The “Paper Roses” songstress recalled the time she “moved to Utah to do the Donny & Marie show” in the mid ’70s. “I was maybe 16 or 17,” she noted.

After settling down in their new home, Marie joined a group at church called Young Women’s. “It was girls 12 to 18 years old and I was so excited to go,” she explained. “And when I walked in the room, there were about 20 girls and they all got up and walked over to the opposite side of the room and looked at me and said, ‘We don’t want you here.'”

“It was so hurtful,” Marie continued, as her fellow costars gasped in the background. “So I stopped going to church.”

The Key is Love author said it was “probably around six months [later]” that Olive — who sadly died in May 2004 — told her daughter enough is enough. “My mom came to me and she said, ‘Well, look at you … by not going back, you’re just proving them right.’ And I went, ‘Well … .'”

Following her insightful chat with her mama, Marie mustered up the courage and “went back” to church. “My faith through stronger as a teenager and that source of strength has carried me throughout my whole life,” the former Dancing With the Stars contestant gushed. “Because she got in my face and it worked!”

Even though it’s been over 15 years since Marie last saw Olive, she still keeps her mom close to her heart. On what would’ve been her mother’s 95th birthday on May 5, the TV personality shared a sweet tribute to commemorate the special day.

“Happy birthday to my sweet mother,” Marie penned alongside a throwback photo of the duo. The singer’s brother and longtime stage partner, Donny Osmond, also posted a heartwarming message for Olive.

“Happy birthday to my angel mother,” the Masked Singer alum, 62, wrote at the time. “She was my greatest cheerleader, wise confidant and soft place to land. I miss you dearly and appreciate your lasting influence every day, Mother.”

At least Marie and Donny have their beloved memories of their mom!