“Domestic Violence is THE issue,” she wrote, days after footage of her being assaulted by her ex-boyfriend surfaced. “My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time.”
The "M & U" singer speaks out for first time since Diddy assault footage surfaced
Cassie Ventura on Diddy's abuse footage surfaces: ‘I Will Always Be Recovering from My Past’
Cassie Ventura addressed the disturbing video that showed her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting her in a hotel back in 2016 for the first time Thursday, saying it “broke me down to someone I never thought I would become.”
On Thursday morning, (May 23), Ventura, 37, released a statement on Instagram, expressing her thanks "for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet."
She went on to explain that "the outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now."
"But this is only the beginning," she said. "Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from the past."
"This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me," she also said. "Thank you."
In the video released by CNN over the weekend, Combs, 54, was seen throwing Ventura, his then-girlfriend, to the floor in a hotel before kicking her, dragging her down a hallway and then throwing things at her.
Combs has since released an apology video, in which he said he took “full responsibility” for his actions before waxing about how he was at “rock bottom” when the video was filmed.
Combs said he’d been going to therapy since then to become a better person, and that he was “disgusted” with himself at the time of the beating, and still is today.