'I Will Always Be Recovering': Diddy's Ex Cassie Breaks Her Silence After Release of Shocking 2016 Assault Video
May 23 2024, Published 8:45 a.m. ET
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, broke her silence this week after a shocking video from 2016 showed the rapper and music mogul physically abusing her inside a hotel, RadarOnline.com can report.
In a sudden development to come after the startling 2016 video was released late last week, Cassie took to Instagram on Thursday morning to speak out about the incident and the “love and support” she has received since the video’s release.
“Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet,” Cassie wrote on Thursday morning. “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,” she continued. “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.”
“Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously,” Cassie wrote further. “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,” she said. “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,” Cassie concluded. “Thank you. Love always, Cassie.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Cassie’s statement on Thursday morning came nearly one week after CNN released a video from 2016 that showed Diddy brutally beating his then-girlfriend inside a Los Angeles hotel.
The shocking footage, which was compiled from multiple camera angles, showed the music mogul pushing, kicking, and dragging the singer during an altercation that she would later describe in great detail in her federal lawsuit against Diddy in November 2023.
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Cassie’s lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, released a statement after the 2016 video first surfaced last week.
"The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” Wigdor said upon the video’s release on Friday. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
Flash forward to Sunday, and Diddy released a video in which he apologized for the 2016 incident. The rapper acknowledged that his “behavior in that video is inexcusable” and he took “full responsibility for [his] actions in that video.”
"It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times of your life, but sometimes you gotta do that,” Diddy said on Sunday. “I was f----- up. I mean, I hit rock bottom – but I make no excuses."
"My behavior in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video," he continued. "I was disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I'm disgusted now. I went out and sought professional help. I had to go into therapy – I had to go into rehab – I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry."
"I'm committed to being a better man, and you should every day,” Diddy concluded his Instagram apology video over the weekend. “I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry."