'Mercy' singer Duffy reveals the traumatic reason she stepped out of public life

goss 26/02/2020

Warning: The following story contains topics involving abuse and sexual assault, and may be distressing for some readers

Duffy was one of the biggest acts in music back in 2008, the singer had a few massive hits including 'Mercy' and 'Warwick Avenue'.

At the height of her career, Duffy seemingly went off the radar - she stopped making music and even stopped her live performances.

After more than 10 years the singer has opened up on her Instagram account about the deeply traumatic events that made her step out of public life.

"You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this. The way I would write it, how I would feel thereafter." she began.

"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."

"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."

Duffy's fans and followers have been deeply supportive of her following her personal message.