INSIDE EDITION speaks exclusively to Jesse James's former step-mom about the picture Jesse has painted of his childhood. You'll be shocked to find out what she says is the true story.
"It's a lie. It's a blatant lie." Jesse James's former stepmother says his claims he was abused as a child are outrageous lies.
Jesse James wept as he told Nightline this week that his father broke his arm and gave him a black eye.
"I was a terrorized kid," Jesse said.
"Absolutely never. I want to stress this. He was never abused," his former step mom said.
Janina James was married to Jesse's father for four years when Jesse was a teenager. She says in those days Jesse and his dad were very close and loving.
"It's amazing how close a father and son they were."
And she wept as she watched the Nightline interview and listened to Jesse's claims.
"Life is short and Jesse knows now that you can lose something so dear to you in a moment and I don't want him to suffer the loss of his father the way he suffers the loss of his wife," Janina wept.
She says Jesse showed disturbing traits as a child. He collected Nazi memorabilia, a fascination with Hitler echoed in this now notorious photograph.
"There was vintage posters that he had hanging in his room that had Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, that type of thing. Fascinated by the Iron Cross. So we knew there was a little bit of a problem there."
She says she started to believe he was obsessed with Hitler!
"The fascination became an obsession, is what happened," Janina said, "and that became a problem. I saw that that was not good."
She says she believes Jesse invented a tough childhood to go with a bad boy biker image.
Janina said, "Somebody needs to step in and say 'this is a lie' and that's why I'm here."
