Duffy praised for bravely revealing she was raped, drugged and held captive but return to music ‘is still way off’
NEVER has a return to the showbiz spotlight been sparked by such a heartbreaking revelation.
Welsh chart superstar-turned-recluse Duffy explained her long absence from the public eye in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday in which she told how she had been raped, drugged and held captive.
The 35-year-old singer, whose bravery in speaking about her ordeal was praised by fans and charities, wrote: “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.
“The truth is, and please trust me I am OK and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days.”
Eleri Butler, chief executive of the charity Welsh Women’s Aid, said today: “My heart goes out to Duffy on hearing her experiences.
“It’s a really strong, courageous and powerful statement about having survived being held captive, raped and abused.”
Duffy — real name Aimee Anne Duffy — also revealed she will tell more about her ordeal in a “spoken interview” on social media.
The promised interview will be her first for several years, having withdrawn from the limelight after the disappointing reaction to her 2010 second album Endlessly and troubles in her personal life.
She did that to full effect, managing to remain completely off radar while keeping fans guessing her whereabouts by posting sporadic pictures on Facebook of places including Cornwall, London and Wales.
When The Sun tried to find her last year, her father John, who lives in North Wales, said: “She’s doing smashing but she has gone to ground for a while. You will find out more in time.”
Despite her own troubles, behind the scenes Duffy has remained involved in music, giving inspiring guidance to troubled aspiring singers who she is helping to nurture.
Little-known US rapper Chika Oranika today described the singer as her “fairy godmother” after Duffy discovered her on Instagram while she was “in a low place”.
Chika said: “It was 2017, I was struggling with gaining (and losing) Internet ‘fame’. She was so worried for me and recognised that I was dealing with depression. She then told me her story.
“After fully processing the weight of all she’d been through, my sadness felt almost insensitive. But she totally understood and still encouraged me with the best advice I’ve ever gotten.”
Chika also revealed Duffy had a similar relationship with another artist, “21-year-old in Alabama”, who she found on Instagram.
The rapper added: “She passed along that wisdom and tenderness that she’d been so harshly denied.”
And she added: “She called me weekly to check up on me, taught me to meditate, got me into numerology. A literal goddess.”
Bangor-born Duffy has been dealing with stardom from a young age after being discovered on Wawffactor, the Welsh version of The X Factor, in 2003.
Having finished second, she later met Jeannette Lee, of Rough Trade Records, who became her manager and introduced her to Suede guitarist Bernard Butler.
He went on to be her songwriting partner and bandmate and in 2007 Duffy signed with A&M Records.
The two female singers who rose to the top at that time were Duffy and Adele — and at one stage the Welsh singer with the retro sound was the bigger deal.
The singers’ debut albums were released just two months apart and both reached No1 — but Duffy’s Rockferry was the top-selling record of 2008.
The following year Duffy won the British Female Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act at the Brits, as well as Album of the Year. She also won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.
She recorded her second album, 2010’s Endlessly, without Bernard Butler, instead going for a more dancey, feelgood sound.
But the change brought a slump in sales, with Endlessly peaking at No9. A year later Adele released her second album 21, which made her a superstar.
As Duffy’s career faltered she moved into movies, starring in low-budget 2010 film Patagonia, shortly before her high-profile relationship with Welsh rugby ace Mike Phillips ended in 2011.
She reappeared in 2015 movie Legend, in which Tom Hardy plays both Ronnie and Reggie Kray. She also contributed three tracks to the soundtrack, playing the role of US singer Timi Yuro. However her appearance in the Brit flick did not trigger a music comeback.
In a rare 2013 interview she hinted that a quick rise to fame had affected her mental health and she was keen to move out of the limelight.
She said: “I thought, ‘I’m going to slow all this right down’. It’s only in the silence you can hear the truth, so I had to turn down the noise. I was losing sight of what all this was about. It all got so complex, such responsibility.
“I was serenading people to sleep, not running Nasa. Suddenly I was a product, an enterprise, a businesswoman. But mostly I wanted to be human.”
And contrary to some fans’ speculation that the singer’s latest admission means new music is imminent, Duffy has no record label, manager or new music ready to record.
However, she is determined to get her career back on track and just being able to speak publicly about the most traumatic experience of her life is the first step.
A music industry insider said: “Duffy’s post is not part of some meticulously planned comeback plotted by her and her record label. She’s a lone wolf and her return is completely off her own back.
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"She will release music at some stage but it’s still way off. She knows she had to document her heartache publicly before she could even contemplate performing again.”
Even so, last December she gave fans optimism again by reactivating her Instagram account with the simple message “2020”.
Now we see why this could be Duffy’s year after all.
Her message to survivors: You are not alone
By Katie Russell, of Rape Crisis England
WHAT Duffy has done will send a message to other survivors that they are not alone, and may even give some the confidence to talk about their own experience.
When someone in the public eye chooses to talk about their experience, it is very powerful.
Under the law, a person who has been raped or sexually assaulted has the right to lifelong anonymity.
Some people waive that right in order to send a message of solidarity to other survivors.
The vast majority of women who are raped or sexually assaulted don’t tell anyone at the time. Some may never tell anyone else.
The vast majority don’t report what happened to the police, and many take a long time to seek out support.
This is for lots of different reasons, including the impact of the trauma itself, which can cause people to be emotionally numbed.
It can cause memory impairment and post-traumatic stress symptoms. A lot of survivors feel ashamed or they blame themselves.
Duffy talks of wanting to regain the sunshine in her heart and that she didn’t want the world to see the sadness in her eyes.
It’s not unusual for a survivor to hide themselves away.
The impact will vary for each person, but they may find they no longer enjoy activities they used to, or feel able to go about their lives as they did before.
They may suffer depression, anxiety and anger, and they may turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Talking about what happened can help to start the healing process.
We would urge anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted to contact the Rape Crisis helpline, where they can talk completely anonymously and be heard and believed.
If someone is struggling and feels they can’t talk to anyone else in their life, it might be a really useful first step.
- For support, visit or call 0808 802 9999
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