Jennifer Lopez claims she was 'beaten' by her mom as a child

Jennifer Lopez shared a heartbreaking confession about her childhood, claiming that her mother used to "beat" her.

MORE: Jennifer Lopez reveals how daughter Emme inspired her Halftime performance

The 52-year-old opened up about her complicated history with her mom, Guadalupe Rodriguez, 76, admitting their strained relationship often lead to her having physical altercations with Jennifer and her sisters, Leslie and Lynda.

WATCH: Jennifer Lopez in tears during Halftime documentary

Speaking in her Netflix documentary Halftime, which was released on June 8, Jennifer said: "She did what she had to do to survive, and it made her strong, but it also made her tough. She beat the [expletive] out of us."

She added: "I was surrounded by a lot of strong women. My mom is a super complicated woman and she carries a lot of baggage, she wanted us to be independent and never have to rely on a man."

MORE: Jennifer Lopez gives rare glimpse into relationship with Ben Affleck as he makes surprise cameo in Halftime

MORE: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck take their five children shopping - and they're so grown up

Jennifer revealed that aged 18, after another argument with her mom – who wanted her daughters to have an education in order to be self-sufficient – she left home to pursue her acting career.

© Photo: Getty Images

Jennifer and her mom had a strained relationship while she was growing up

She later added: "My mom was like, 'If you're gonna live in this house, you're gonna get your education'. We got into a bad fight one night and I just left."

Guadalupe admitted that she wasn't "the perfect mother" and confirmed that she and Jennifer "butted heads a lot" but insisted that she had her girls' "best interest at heart".

© Photo: Getty Images

Mom and daughter have a better relationship now

She explained: "I always had the highest expectations of them. It wasn't to be critical. It was only to show you that you could do better. Jennifer, she gave me the hardest time, to tell you the truth. We butted heads a lot.

"I was far from the perfect mother. The one thing I can always say, everything I did, I did with their best interest at heart."

Jennifer now has children of her own, 14-year-old twins Max and Emme, who she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony.

Read more HELLO! US stories here