"Mercy" singer Duffy says she was drugged, raped and held hostage

Welsh singer-songwriter Aimee Anne Duffy, known professionally as Duffy, claimed in an Instagram post Tuesday that she was "raped and drugged and held captive over some days." The singer did not detail exactly when this happened, but cited the ordeal as the reason for her musical hiatus, which began in 2011.

"Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why," she wrote. "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."

Duffy is best known for her 2008 debut album "Rockferry," which featured the single "Mercy." The album was certified platinum, selling millions of copies worldwide. Her followup album, "Hopelessly," was released in 2010 and performed poorly on the charts. She has not released a new album since, but has appeared in a few films.

In 2013, Duffy gave her first live performance in three years, appearing at a tribute to Edith Piaf. She has not toured in a decade. Tuesday's Instagram post was her first since 2017.

View this post on Instagram

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

Duffy explained why she didn't "use my voice to express my pain," before now, saying, "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?"

Duffy says that after years of keeping silent, she finally told her story to someone last summer after a journalist reached out to her. She thanked her fans for their "sincere appreciation" and "kindness over the years" and asked for privacy for her and her family.

She asked her fans to submit questions they may have for her, which she said will try to answer in an interview she plans to release "In the following weeks."

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.