Jessica Alba candidly explained why she broke her virginity pact aged 18

Jessica Alba opened up about why she broke her virginity pact with an older man when she was just 18 years old.

Everybody remembers their first time, usually for all the wrong reasons...

While some of us wanted to get it over and done with, others were willing to wait for someone special.

There are plenty of reasons why people might stay a virgin, including cultural and religious grounds.

And Trigger Warning star Alba grew up in a 'born-again Christian' family who reportedly didn't believe in sex before marriage.

Jessica Alba at 18 years old (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Alba, who made her movie debut in Camp Nowhere at 13 years old, admitted she would date 'whoever asked her out', although she never went any further than that.

But after 'falling in love' with a bisexual man she began questioning the church's beliefs.

In 2014, the Hollywood star told the Daily Beast: "I was so in love with him and thought, 'There’s no way this guy’s going to hell.

"My born-again Christian friends didn’t approve of that. [It was] very twisted."

While shooting Fox's Dark Angel in 2000, Alba, then 18, worked alongside actor Michael Weatherly.

Alba and Michael Weatherly (Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

The pair began a relationship, despite their almost 13 year age gap - Weatherly was 30 at the time - and the disapproval of Alba's family.

Alba lost her virginity to the actor, who wasn't a virgin himself.

Reflecting on the relationship, Alba told Cosmopolitan in 2005 that she 'didn’t have a voice' when she was 18 and and 'he was so much older...'

She explained: "I didn't really [seriously] go out with any guys until I was 18 and met my ex-fiancé, Michael Weatherly... It just didn't work out.

"I was so young, 18, when I started dating him. I was a virgin."

On her virginity, Alba said: "I knew I wanted to be in love with the first person I slept with, because for almost everyone I knew, the first experience made them feel like s**t.

Alba, Cash Warren and their three children (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Feld Entertainment)

"So I wanted to be really careful that he was going to be in love with me and wasn't just going to leave me."

On her 20th birthday in 2001, Weatherly popped the question and the pair were engaged.

But two years later, they went their separate ways.

Alba went on to meet film producer Cash Warren on the set of Fantastic Four in 2004 and wed four years later.

They're proud parents to three children: Honor, 16, Haven, 13, and seven-year-old Hayes.

But earlier this month Alba confirmed her and Warren's 'marriage was over' after 16 years.

Taking to Instagram, she wrote in part: "We are moving forward with love and kindness and respect for each other and will forever be family. Our children remain our highest priority and we request privacy at this time."