Duffy says it was ‘liberating’ to share ordeal of her kidnap and rape

‘I would sincerely like to know, how are you?’ singer asks followers

Duffy (Getty Images)

Duffy has invited fans to share their life experiences and anxieties with her after revealing that she felt “liberated” sharing her own harrowing account of sexual assault and abduction.

In February, the singer revealed she was raped, drugged and held captive over several days at some point over the last decade.

In a written account on a website called duffywords.com, Duffy explained how the experience prompted her to vanish from the spotlight after releasing her second record in 2010.

She said her ordeal began after she was drugged in a restaurant on her birthday, following which she was taken to a foreign country.

“I can’t remember getting on the plane and came round in the back of a travelling vehicle,” Duffy wrote.

“I was put into a hotel room and the perpetrator returned and raped me.”

Now, the singer has shared an Instagram post explaining that she could not sleep and was thinking about how vulnerable people and key workers are faring during the pandemic.

“Health workers face fatigue, with such uncertainty ahead, people are queuing at empty food banks and the landscape is changing,” she wrote in the caption beneath an image of the word “talk”.

“You may or may not have read my words, recently. I found them to be liberating,” the singer continued.

“And so I would sincerely like to know, how are you?”

Duffy added that she had been reflecting on the changes to the lockdown rules in England, which come into effect on Wednesday 13 May and will see the easing of several restrictions such as sunbathing and outdoor exercise.

“Tonight, some of us grieve the easing of enforced lockdown – and some of us appreciate it,” Duffy wrote.

“The sense of security found in a common goal, a shared goal, is changing and could now stand to divide, which it must not, above all, in adapting to a new uncertainty.”

The musician added that she wants to encourage her followers to “talk openly” with one another about how they are doing.

“I look forward to reading how you are, about your life, and current experiences,” she concluded

So far, more than 400 people have left comments on Duffy’s post, with some sharing stories of anxiety while others are undergoing severe physical health struggles.