Homepage

ACCESSIBILITY LINKS

* Skip to content

* Accessibility Help

Sign in

Notifications

* Home

* News

* Sport

* Reel

* Worklife

* Travel

* Future

* Culture

* Music

* TV

* Weather

* Sounds

* More

Search

Search the BBCSearch the BBC

MORE

* Home

* News

* Sport

* Reel

* Worklife

* Travel

* Future

* Culture

* Music

* TV

* Weather

* Sounds

News

BBC NEWS NAVIGATION

Sections

* Home

* Video

* World

* US & Canada

* UK selected

* Business

* Tech

* Science

* Stories

* Entertainment & Arts

* Health

* In Pictures

* Reality Check

* World News TV

* Newsbeat

* Special Reports

* Explainers

* The Reporters

* Have Your Say

* More sections

* In Pictures

* Reality Check

* World News TV

* Newsbeat

* Special Reports

* Explainers

* The Reporters

* Have Your Say

Wales selected

* Wales Politics

* Wales Business

* North West

* North East

* Mid

* South West

* South East

* Cymru

Advertisement

Wales

Wales

SINGER DUFFY 'DRUGGED, RAPED AND HELD CAPTIVE'

*

26 February 2020

* Share this with Facebook * Share this with Messenger * Share this with Twitter * Share this with Email * Share this with Facebook * Share this with WhatsApp * Share this with Messenger * Share this with Twitter

* Share

Share this with

These are external links and will open in a new window

*

Email

Share this with Email

*

Facebook

Share this with Facebook

*

Messenger

Share this with Messenger

*

Messenger

Share this with Messenger

*

Twitter

Share this with Twitter

*

Pinterest

Share this with Pinterest

*

WhatsApp

Share this with WhatsApp

*

LinkedIn

Share this with LinkedIn

Copy this link

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-51637265 Read more about sharing. These are external links and will open in a new window

Close share panel

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Duffy's debut album Rockferry went seven times platinum Grammy award-winning singer Duffy has revealed she was drugged and raped after being held captive by an attacker. The 35-year-old Welsh star posted on her verified Instagram account that her "recovery took

time".

The performer, who had a UK number one single Mercy in 2008, wrote to her 33,000 followers: "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 wrote. Duffy, whose debut album Rockferry went seven times platinum as it went to number one in six countries, won three Brit Awards and a Grammy following her breakthrough. At the Brits, she won British Breakthrough, Best British Female and Best British Album awards. "You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this," she wrote on Instagram. * A biography of Duffy * Listen to Duffy on the BBC "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. Image copyright Instagram Image caption Duffy wrote about her ordeal to her 33,000 Instagram followers "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."

'SADNESS IN MY EYES' Duffy - whose real name is Aimee Anne Duffy - went to number one in 12 countries with Mercy, which was the UK's third-best-selling single of 2008 with sales of more than 500,000 copies. The singer, from Nefyn in Gwynedd, then enjoyed success with her first album Rockferry as it became the UK's biggest selling album of 2008. "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," she added. "I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Duffy went to number one in 12 countries with her single Mercy "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." Eleri Butler, chief executive of Welsh Women's Aid, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast with Claire Summers the singer's choice to speak out was a "strong, courageous and powerful statement". "It's really difficult to speak out… for some women it's the right time to talk many years after the experience, and for some it's never the right time," she said. The BBC attempted to contact Duffy to confirm the details of her post.

RELATED TOPICS

* Sexual violence

* Nefyn

* Bangor

* Music

SHARE THIS STORY ABOUT SHARING

* Email

* Facebook

* Messenger

* Messenger

* Twitter

* Pinterest

* WhatsApp

* LinkedIn

WALES

HOSPITAL A&E 'NEARLY CLOSED' OVER STAFF SHORTAGES

*

27 February 2020

* From the section Wales Full article Hospital A&E 'nearly closed' over staff shortages BLIND MAN HIT BY CAR ON PAVEMENT 'SWORN AT'

*

27 February 2020

* From the section Wales Full article Blind man hit by car on pavement 'sworn at'

Video

Video

COASTAL EROSION: WHAT'S THE FUTURE FOR FAIRBOURNE?

*

27 February 2020

* From the section Wales Full article Coastal erosion: What's the future for Fairbourne?

TOP STORIES

CASES SURGE AS WORLD BATTLES TO CONTAIN VIRUS Coronavirus cases jump in Italy, as Saudi Arabia stops foreign pilgrims visiting Mecca. 25 minutes ago TRUMP: VP WILL HEAD CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE 1 hour ago HOW WORRIED SHOULD US BE OVER CORONAVIRUS?

9 hours ago

Advertisement

FEATURES

HOW WORRIED SHOULD US BE OVER CORONAVIRUS? SEVENTEEN THINGS BERNIE SANDERS BELIEVES THE WOMAN WHO NEGOTIATED WITH THE TALIBAN

Advertisement

Video

THE PERFUME THAT'S MEANT TO SMELL OF TERROR LANDSCAPES OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE WHY DELHI VIOLENCE HAS ECHOES OF THE GUJARAT RIOTS 'THEY REMOVED MY UTERUS AND I HAD NO IDEA FOR 11 YEARS' BBC TRAVEL: A TINY GERMAN ISLE THAT LOVES MANHATTAN

Video

'THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD TO DOODLE OVER' ELSEWHERE ON THE BBC

FOOTBALL PHRASES

15 sayings from around the world Full article Football phrases

MOST READ

MOST READ

* 1 Trump names VP Pence man in charge of coronavirus response * 2 Coronavirus cases surge to 400 in Italy * 3 Teenager's remains found in lion enclosure at Pakistani zoo * 4 Five dead in Milwaukee shooting at Molson Coors beer company * 5 Coronavirus: Should Americans be worried? * 6 Nando’s employees call for changes to cleaning pay policy * 7 Coronavirus: How is the UK planning for an outbreak? * 8 What is coronavirus and what are the symptoms? * 9 Kenya university's rape memo sparks anger * 10 West Midlands floods: 'Ten days of difficult conditions' to

come

Advertisement

Advertisement

Info/CaptionWhy you can trust BBC News

BBC NEWS NAVIGATION

Wales Sections

* Wales

* Wales Politics

* Wales Business

* North West

* North East

* Mid

* South West

* South East

* Cymru

* Home

* Video

* World

* World Home

* Africa

* Asia

* Australia

* Europe

* Latin America

* Middle East

* US & Canada

* US & Canada Home

* UK selected

* UK Home

* England

* N. Ireland

* Scotland

* Wales selected

* Politics

* Business

* Business Home

* Market Data

* Global Trade

* Companies

* Entrepreneurship

* Technology of Business

* Connected World

* Global Education

* Economy

* Tech

* Science

* Stories

* Entertainment & Arts

* Health

* In Pictures

* Reality Check

* World News TV

* Newsbeat

* Special Reports

* Explainers

* The Reporters

* Have Your Say

BBC NEWS SERVICES

* On your mobile

* On smart speakers

* Get news alerts

* Contact BBC News

EXPLORE THE BBC

* Home

* News

* Sport

* Reel

* Worklife

* Travel

* Future

* Culture

* Music

* TV

* Weather

* Sounds

* Terms of Use

* About the BBC

* Privacy Policy

* Cookies

* Accessibility Help

* Parental Guidance

* Contact the BBC

* Get Personalised Newsletters

* Advertise with us

* AdChoices / Do Not Sell My Info _Copyright © 2020 BBC._ The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.