Singer Duffy breaks silence 4 years after revealing alleged rape, kidnapping – Hartford Courant

Jami Ganz | New York Daily News (TNS)

Singer Duffy has returned to social media with an inspirational message, more than four years after she attributed her long-held hiatus to a traumatic kidnapping and sexual assault.

On Tuesday, the 39-year-old “Mercy” singer, born Aimée Anne Duffy, shared a video discussing happiness, which she said was meant to serve as “a little something to motivate the heart.”

“One day you’re going to see it — that happiness was always about the discovery, the hope” says a voice-over in the animated clip. “Happiness was always about being kinder to yourself. One day you will understand that happiness … was never in the hands of others. One day you will realize that true happiness comes from within, and no external factors can define it. It was always about you.”

In a since-deleted post from February 2020, the Welsh artist addressed speculation surrounding her disappearance from the public eye, having last released music in 2015 with the single “Whole Lot of Love.”

“Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why,” she wrote at the time. “The truth is, and please trust me I am OK and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days.”

Noting she survived the attack but “recovery took time,” Duffy added that “the sun does now shine.”

She thanked her fans for the “liberating” opportunity to speak out about her experience and their years of “kindness” they have shown her.