Fans Support Melissa Benoist After Opening Up About Domestic Violence
Fans Support Melissa Benoist After Opening Up About Domestic Violence
#IStandWithMelissa trended after her emotional Instagram post.
Supergirl star Melissa Benoist posted an emotional video earlier this week to Instagram, detailing the time she spent in an abusive relationship. Now, fans and co-workers are rallying around her to show their support.
“I am a survivor of domestic violence…which is something I never in my life expected I would say, let alone be broadcasting into the ether,” Benoist says at the start of the nearly 15 minute long video.
She doesn’t name her abuser at any point in the video, but does say that he was younger than her, and capable of being “charming, funny, manipulative, devious.” The relationship with this person started very soon after her previous relationship had ended, and Benoist says everything went from “zero to sixty” as soon as they started dating.
“It’s still hard for me to dissect what I was thinking and feeling that kept me from stopping what felt like a runaway freight train,” she admits.
The abuse the former Glee star details throughout the video is horrific, ultimately culminating in an incident where she says her abuser threw his iPhone at her face and sent her to the hospital.
“The impact tore my iris, nearly ruptured my eyeball, lacerated my skin, and broke my nose,” she says.
None— ceci \ud83e\udd9113 (@ceci \ud83e\udd9113) 1574893877
Though she told a cover story to the people at the hospital, Benoist admits that “emotionally, after that, [she] was done.”
“Something inside of me broke. This was too far,” she says. Eventually, a friend had the opportunity to approach Benoist alone and get her to talk about what she suspected was going on, and she was able to find the courage to finally leave her abuser.
But, she said, it’s been a “long and winding road of healing and reconciliation,” and she’s just now gotten to a place where she’s wanted to share her story with others. And the support for her and for others who may be in a similar situation has been pouring in.
\u201cjust finished watching, and @MelissaBenoist is a fucking hero. talking about something as complex & layered as intimate partner violence so openly, as she did, is a massive feat & such a selfless act that will hopefully heal so many. we can all only hope to be as brave as she is.\u201d— Dove Cameron (@Dove Cameron) 1574933908
\u201cProud of @MelissaBenoist today and always. She earns the title in every way. #Supergirl\u201d— David Harewood (@David Harewood) 1574911124
\u201c@MelissaBenoist You just saved someone\u2019s life today. I\u2019m certain of it. Thank you for using your voice for the powers of good.\u201d— Melissa Benoist (@Melissa Benoist) 1574883295
\u201cMelissa Benoist let herself get completely destroyed by social media when people thought she was cheating on Blake Jenner. Can't imagine how hard it must have been for her to laugh off her injuries & not tell anyone what was really happening. Just awful what she had to go through\u201d— Liv (@Liv) 1574898705
\u201cMelissa Benoist went through so much...from being abused by her partner to being slutshamed for finding love after she left her abuser. And through it all she endured every insult thrown at her while being a victim all along. #IStandWithMelissa thank you for speaking up \ud83d\ude4f\u201d— jo (@jo) 1574924136
\u201cNo one else could be a better fit in the role of Supergirl because Melissa Benoist you are a hero \n#istandwithmelissa\u201d— Rachel \u03c6 (@Rachel \u03c6) 1574900701
Benoist's full video can be watched below.
