Cassie Ventura has spoken out for the first time after a viral video showed her ex, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, brutally assaulting her in a hotel hallway. In an Instagram statement, Ventura said it “broke me down to someone I never thought I would become.”
“Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers, and those I have yet to meet,” 37-year-old Ventura wrote in a statement.
“The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. 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 my past,” she added.
‘I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear’
The ‘ME & U’ singer added, “Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.”
“I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone. This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me. Thank you. Love Always, Cassie,” she concluded.
Ventura and Diddy’s on-again, off-again relationship when she was 19 and he was 37. Ventura was signed with the rapper’s label.
The sickening 2016 video shows Ventura fleeing at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, with Diddy behind her. The music mogul gets hold of the singer before she could get on an elevator, grabbing her by the neck and pushing her to the ground. He then kicks her, drags her by the sweatshirt and throws things at her. Ventura is seen helplessly lying on the floor.