Singer Duffy, 35, whose biggest hit was 2008’s “Mercy”, abruptly disappeared from the spotlight several years ago, and now she’s finally revealing the heartbreaking reason why. In an emotional Instagram post shared on Feb. 25, she 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. 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.”
She continued, “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 did not reveal any further details at this time, but if you want to know more about her, take a look at a list of facts below.
1. Duffy has released two studio albums thus far: 2008′s Rockferry and 2010′s Endlessly.
2. Duffy’s debut album, Rockferry, included the single, “Mercy”, and was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2009. It sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
3. Duffy dated Cheshire-born Mark Durston for over five years until November 2006.
4. Following her relationship with Mark, Duffy dated Welsh international rugby star Mike Phillips from September 2009 to May 2011.
5. On October 3, 2012, Duffy escaped from a fire in the rented penthouse apartment in which she was living, Abbots House in Kensington, London.