Patrick Swayze's wife has revealed he was abused by his mother as a child in new documentary

On September 14, it will be 10 years since the world lost the incredibly talented Patrick Swayze to pancreatic cancer.

In tribute to the Dirty Dancing star, Paramount Network is releasing a documentary about the beloved actor, I Am Patrick Swayze.

And now it has been revealed that in the film, Patrick's widow, Lisa Niemi Swayze, will be lifting the lid on the abuse he suffered as a child.

Opening up about Patrick's abusive mother, Patsy, Lisa said: "Patsy was really an example of what happens in families in a cycle of abuse, She could be very violent, but it was nothing compared to what she endured growing up and the stories I heard about what she went through with her own mother.

"But you know what, if somebody pushes you that hard, like his mum did, it could make some people cave, but it made him fight harder."

Lisa went on to reveal that on Patrick's 18th birthday, his father told Patsy that he would divorce her if she ever hit their son again.

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"She never hit him after that. Over the years, he and Patsy came to have a much better relationship. Patsy could be extremely critical and negative. But she figured out that if she was going to be around us, she needed to be a little nicer, and that's what she did," she said.

Patsy died four years after Patrick in 2013 at the age of 86.

The film also features interviews with his former costars - including Demi Moore, Sam Elliott, Jennifer Grey and Rob Lowe - about who he was and his wonderful spirit.

We still can't believe it has been a decade since he passed away.

I Am Patrick Swayze will be released on Sunday 18 August to mark the late actor's 67th birthday.