Singer Duffy on being 'raped, drugged and held captive'

Award-winning international songstress Duffy has opened up about one of the factors that contributed to her decision to step away from the spotlight nearly a decade ago, revealing that she was raped, drugged and held captive.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the Mercy hitmaker said she felt it was the right time to speak about her ordeal, and felt liberated doing so.

“Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why ... 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 the recovery took time and there were many days when it felt like the sun would never shine again.

“I can tell you that 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”.

She told her fans she struggled to speak about her pain through music because she was so broken.

“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.”

She promised to address any questions from fans in an upcoming interview and thanked them for their support.