Cassie Ventura shares a message one week after the video of her ex, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, physically assaulting her in 2016 was released.
Cassie Ventura is speaking up after the video of her ex, Sean "Diddy" Combs, physically assaulting her in 2016 was released.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday morning, the 37-year-old singer writes, "Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet."
Cassie shares that seeing the "outpouring of love" has allowed her "younger self to settle and feel safe."
She goes on to voice that the response is "only the beginning," noting that domestic violence "broke me down to someone I never thought I would become."
The "Me & You" singer writes that while she is "better today" thanks to her hard work, "I will always be recovering from my past."
While Cassie again expresses her appreciation for the support she received after the video came out, she notes that she hopes people will believe victims the first time they share their stories.
"It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in," she writes. "I offer my hand to those [who] are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don't cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone."
Calling her "healing journey never ending," Cassie says that the support she has received "means everything to me."
Cassie's husband, Alex Fine, commented on the post, writing, "Love you so much, perfect example for our daughters."
The couple share daughters Frankie, 4, and Sunny, 3.
Last week CNN released a video of Diddy physically assaulting his now-ex in 2016 in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. This video corroborates Cassie's allegations in her 35-page lawsuit against Diddy, which makes multiple claims against the music producer and artist. A day after she filed her lawsuit against Diddy, the two reached a settlement.
In the video, Cassie is seen exiting a hotel room and walking to a bank of elevators. Diddy, holding a towel around his waist, runs after the singer and grabs her by the back of the neck, throwing her to the floor. He then turns to kick her as she lays on the ground.
Diddy retrieves Cassie's dropped purse and weekend bag from the floor near the elevators before turning to kick her again. He then begins to drag Cassie by the neck of her sweatshirt toward a room before walking away.
Cassie's husband, Alex, also took to social media to speak out and defend his wife -- and other victims of domestic violence -- following the release of the video.
"To all the survivors, your stories are real, and people believe you. To all the survivors you're not alone, and there are men and women who care only for your well being and safety," his message read in part. "We want you to succeed and flourish. To all the women and children, I'm sorry you live in a world where you're not protected, and you don't feel equal. I want to raise my daughters in a world where they are safe and loved."
Over the weekend, Diddy released a video apologizing for his actions.
"My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video," Diddy said in the clip. "I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab."
Cassie's legal team responded to the video in a statement to ET on Sunday.
"Combs' most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt," Meredith Firetog, partner at Wigdor LLP, said. "When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday. That he was only compelled to 'apologize' once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words."
Cassie and Diddy went public with their romance in 2012 -- though it was speculated that they were together since 2008. However, the pair officially ended their romance in 2018.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential.
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