Singer Duffy on being 'raped, drugged and held captive'

26 February 2020 - 10:20
By Kyle Zeeman
Duffy opened up in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday.
Image: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images Duffy opened up in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday.

Award-winning international songstress Duffy has opened up about one of the factors that contributed to her decision to step away from the spotlight nearly a decade ago, revealing that she was raped, drugged and held captive.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the Mercy hitmaker said she felt it was the right time to speak about her ordeal, and felt liberated doing so.

“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.”

She said the recovery took time and there were many days when it felt like the sun would never shine again.

“I can tell you that 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”.

She told her fans she struggled to speak about her pain through music because she was so broken.

“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.”

She promised to address any questions from fans in an upcoming interview and thanked them for their support.

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.

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