Welsh singer Duffy told her fans that she was held captive, drugged and raped in an Instagram post.
The singer - who had a UK number one single with Mercy in 2008 and won three Brit awards - wrote on the social media site last night, "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."
She said she had confided in a journalist over the summer and that it had "felt amazing to finally speak" about her experience.
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"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 said. "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."
Duffy, whose real name is Aimee Anne Duffy, 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?"
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The singer continued, writing that she would be uploading a spoken interview to answer more questions. She added, "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."
Her debut album, Rockferry, was the UK's biggest selling album of 2008.
If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, please visit womensaid.org.uk or rapecrisis.org.uk.