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“Mercy” Singer Duffy Says She Left Limelight After Being “Raped, Drugged & Held Captive”

Photo: Alex Macnaughton/Shutterstock.
After an extended hiatus of over a decade, Welsh singer Duffy (real name Aimee Duffy) is explaining why she has been out of the public eye for so long. In a lengthy Instagram post shared earlier this afternoon, Duffy revealed that her long absence was due to a traumatic experience.
“The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days,” the singer wrote on Instagram. “The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it.”
In the caption, Duffy also said that she had first shared the story with a journalist who had sought her out last summer. Now, she's ready to talk about her harrowing experience with the world.
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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

The singer first made headlines in 2008 when her hit single "Mercy" swept global music charts. After the success of the song, Duffy went on to release a second album titled Endlessly in 2010, which was followed by a decision to take a break from making music for nine years. During this break, Duffy says, she suffered horrendous abuse.
While she did not go into explicit details about what transpired, the singer told fans that she was in a much better space after taking time to herself.
"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," Duffy's caption continued. "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."
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