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Cassie Ventura has responded to the surveillance video obtained by CNN, that showed her being assaulted by embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. This comes after he settled with her last year in a blockbuster lawsuit that alleged emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Ventura thanked the people who privately and publicly showed their support after the video was made public. The incident, detailed in a 2023 lawsuit, happened on March 5, 2016 when the then-couple was staying at the Hotel InterContinental Century City in Los Angeles.
Combs settled with Ventura the day after the lawsuit was filed.
She said that Combs was intoxicated when he punched her in the face, giving her a black eye. She waited until he went to sleep and then tried to leave the hotel. The video shows her in a hoodie heading to the elevator bank when Combs comes running down the hall in a towel and socks. He grabs Ventura, knocks her to the ground, kicks her and drags her by her hair.
“Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet,” Ventura said in an Instagram post. “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning.”
She added, “Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone never thought would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”
Ventura said she hoped her story would ultimately help others.
“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. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone.”
Ventura, 37, is a Connecticut native who hit in 2006 with the song “Me & U.” She is of African American, Mexican, West Indian and Filipino descent, per published reports. She dated Combs starting from when she was 19 and he was 37, from 2007 – 2018.
In her lawsuit, she detailed multiple abuses including that Combs used drugs and coercion to force her into ‘Freak Offs’ where she had sex with other men while he watched. She also says she was raped and physically abused by Combs throughout their relationship.
Though Combs has denied the claims in her lawsuit and several others, he apologized for the abuse show on the surveillance video. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” Combs said in a video posted on Instagram and Facebook.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs continues. “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
Ventura says she hopes that others will benefit now that she has shared her experience and thanked the public for their support.
“This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me,” she concluded her message.
