Duffy bravely reveals she was 'drugged, raped and held captive' in emotional Instagram post
26 February 2020, 00:40 | Updated: 26 February 2020, 00:41
Duffy has bravely revealed she was raped and held captive for days in an emotional Instagram post.
The 35-year-old singer and songwriter, whose real name is Aimee Anne Duffy, had largely disappeared from the public eye following the release of two award-winning albums.
But Duffy has said she has needed time to heal after she was drugged, held captive and raped for days.
Taking to social media, she said: "You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this. The way I would write it, how I would feel thereafter.
"Well, not entirely sure why now is the right time, and what it is that feels exciting and liberating for me to talk. I cannot explain it. Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why.
"A journalist contacted me, he found a way to reach me and I told him everything this past summer. He was kind and it felt so amazing to finally speak.
"The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days. Of course I survived. The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it.
"But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine. You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes.
"I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke. In the following weeks I will be posting a spoken interview.
"If you have any questions I would like to answer them, in the spoken interview, if I can. I have a sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years. You have been friends. I want to thank you for that x
"Duffy."
She added: "Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family. Please support me to make this a positive experience."
Welsh-born Duffy exploded onto the music scene in 2007, with the release of her single Rockferry, and released her first studio album the following year.
The following year she won three Brit Awards, for British Breakthrough, Best British Female and Best British Album, and won her the Grammy award for best Pop Vocal Album that year.
Fans were quick to show their support for the singer, with many praising the courage it took to go public with her statement.
One said: "Thank you so much for sharing this Duffy. I missed you for so many years and always wondered what had happened. I think this will inspire many people.
"You have a lot of courage to handle it all by yourself and I’m certain your voice will reflect your experiences from a place of light."
Another added: "We're so incredibly happy to have you back!!! The amount of strength and courage that must've taken."
