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.
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.
Benoist's full video can be watched below.
