Advertisement
Latest news:

Israel launches attack on Iran, US officials say

Singer Duffy tells fans she was 'raped, drugged and held captive for days'

Katy Clifton
·3-min read
Singer Duffy performs on stage at the Sydney Opera House in 2009: Getty Images
Singer Duffy performs on stage at the Sydney Opera House in 2009: Getty Images

British singer Duffy has told fans she was "raped and drugged and held captive" over a period of days as she revealed why she has not released music for a decade.

The Welsh singer, whose name is Aimee Anne Duffy, opened up about a past ordeal in a post on her Instagram account on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old wrote: "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. 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."

View this post on Instagram

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 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.

A post shared by @ duffy on Feb 25, 2020 at 10:12am PST

She added: "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."

Duffy rose to fame when she released singles Rockferry in 2007 and Mercy the following year.

She released her debut album Rockferry in 2018, following it up with her 2010 album Endlessly. It reached number nine in the album charts that December.

In the Instagram post, Duffy said she had a "sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years".

She continued: "You have been friends. I want to thank you for that."

More follows...