British pop star Duffy says she endured a horrific ordeal in which she was raped, drugged and held against her will for several days.
In an Instagram post, the singer - full name Aimee Anne Duffy - broke her silence about the incident, saying she'd kept it a secret while she recovered.
"You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this. The way I would write it, how I would feel thereafter," the post began.
Referring to her 2011 hiatus from the music industry, Duffy continued: "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. Of course I survived. The recovery took time. There's no light way to say it."
While Duffy wasn't specific about when the alleged attack occurred, she said she had spent "thousands and thousands of days" over the last ten years committed to "wanting to feel the sunshine" in her heart.
"The sun does now shine," she said.
Duffy's hit song 'Mercy' made waves in 2008, but the now 35-year-old said she couldn't continue to sing from her heart when it was broken.
"I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes."
The Welsh singer said she would be posting a spoken interview in the coming weeks, and asked fans to submit their questions for her to answer.
"I have a sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years. You have been friends. I want to thank you for that," she added.
Duffy concluded by asking her followers not to intrude on her family, and to support her in making this a "positive experience".
