British singer Duffy has explained her ten-year absence from the music industry – revealing how she was “drugged, raped and held captive”.
Speaking publicly in a heartbreaking Instagram post, the Welsh star has opened up on a past ordeal that mean she could not show the world the “sadness in her eyes”.
The star shot to fame after releasing her hit single Mercy in 2008 – with her number one album Rockferry selling more than nine millions copies world-wide.
But Duffy, real name Aimee Anne Duffy has not released any new music since 2010 as a solo artist.
Addressing a past ordeal on her official blue-ticked Instagram account today, the 35-year-old from Nefyn in North Wales 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.
Duffy has opened up about the incident on Instagram, saying her ‘recovery took time’ but the ‘sun does now shine’ (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
“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.”
In the post that has garnered 3,415 well-wishing replies from her 22,500 followers she continued: “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.”
Duffy rose to prominence when she released singles Rockferry (2007) and Mercy (2008) before she dropped her debut album Rockferry in 2008.
Her follow-up album, Endlessly, which she released in 2010, achieved the number 9 slot in the album charts that December.
The Welsh singer released her first album Rockferry in 2008 – the biggest selling album of that year (Image: Getty Images)
But Duffy has yet to release any new material since her second album.
In the Instagram post 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.
“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.
“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.”
The singer-songwriter hasn’t released any music as solo artist since 2010 (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
In the comment section, her fans penned emotional messages about her ordeal.
“We love you Duffy. Glad you’re healing,” one remarked.
“Thank you so much for sharing this Duffy. I missed you for so many years and always wondered what had happened. I think this will inspire many people,” another wrote.
Duffy signed off her Instagram, writing ‘please support me to make this a positive experience’ (Image: Getty Images)
Shortly after she released her debut album, she featured in a Diet Coke advertisement that put her front and centre of a £35m campaign.
The partnership was dubbed “an unnatural fit” and was quickly met with ‘sell-out’ accusations.
After her second album Duffy made a rare public appearance in 2013 – her first live performance in three years – during a tribute to Edith Piaf in New York City.
Prior to this, she was set to perform in Monaco for the Sporting Summer Festival in August 2011, but cancelled and Melody Gardot replaced her.
The following year, in October 2012, the songstress was announced as a performer for the Atelier Festival in Dubai but failed to appear and was declared a “no show” by the Dubai media.
In December 2019, Duffy posted a photo with the caption “#2020” which has since been deleted from her social media page.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
