Supergirl actress Melissa Benoist has revealed that she’s a “survivor of domestic violence.”
The 31-year-old told fans that she was abused by a former partner in an emotional video on Instagram, but didn’t name her alleged abuser.
She said: “He was a magnanimous person, who didn’t really give you a choice not to be drawn to him.”
“He could be charming, funny, manipulative, devious. He was younger than me, his maturity obvious.”
Melissa said the abuse was emotional and manipulative, before it turned violent five months into their relationship.
She said: “The stark truth is I learned what it felt like to be pinned down and slapped repeatedly, punched so hard the wind was knocked out of me, dragged by my hair across pavement, headbutted, pinched until my skin broke, shoved into a wall so hard the dry wall broke, choked.”
“I learned quickly not to lock myself in rooms because the door would be inevitably broken down. I learned not to value my property, I learned not to value myself.”
The actress also recalled a particularly terrifying incident when her former partner threw his phone so hard at her face that she had to be taken to hospital.
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She said: “The impact tore my iris, nearly ruptured my eyeball, lacerated my skin and broke my nose. My left eye swelled shut, I had a fat lip.”
After sharing the video on IGTV, Melissa wrote on Instagram: “The long and winding road of healing and reconciliation has brought me to this moment where I feel strong enough to talk about my experience openly, honestly and without shame.”
“By sharing my story, hopefully I can empower others to seek help and extricate themselves from abusive relationships. Everyone deserves to be loved void of violence, fear and physical harm. @futureswithoutviolence.”
