Cassie Ventura breaks silence on Diddy domestic abuse video

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things musicGet our Now Hear This email for free

Cassie Ventura has broken her silence on the domestic abuse video which shows former rapper and business mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs attacking her in a hotel.

CCTV footage from a 2016 incident shows Combs chasing the singer down a hotel hallway before punching and kicking her to the floor. Combs, wearing only a towel around his waist and a pair of socks, then attempts to drag Ventura back down the corridor.

Combs posted an apology video on Sunday (19 May) in which he called his behaviour “inexcusable” and said he “takes full responsibility for his actions in the video”.

An attorney for the singer, called the apology “disingenuous”.

However, the 37-year-old, mother-of-two has now released a statement in her own words, speaking out on the incident.

“Thank you for all the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet,” she wrote via Instagram on Thursday (22 May).

“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. 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.”

(Getty Images/Instagram @diddy)She urged her followers to “open your heart to believing victims the first time.”

She added: “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. 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. Thank you.”

According to CNN, Diddy later paid the InterContinental Century City $50,000 for the hallway security footage.

(CNN)The video appears to corroborate several allegations made in a lawsuit brought by Cassie in 2023, in which she claimed she was trafficked, raped and beaten by Diddy on many occasions over 10 years.

According to the complaint, which cited the altercation as occurring “around March 2016”, Diddy became “extremely intoxicated and punched Ms Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye”.