Cassie says Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ violence ‘broke me down’ after assault video surfaces
LA TimesCasandra “Cassie” Ventura said domestic violence “broke me down” a week after footage of the assault she faced from ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs surfaced. For Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who sued ex-boyfriend and embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs for alleged assault and abuse, “it takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.” The 37-year-old singer on Thursday opened up about her experience with domestic violence and the support she has received since video of Combs assaulting Ventura surfaced last week. Ventura said that despite the “hard work” she has done to move forward from the 2016 incident, “I will always be recovering from my past.” She also urged her followers and supporters to “open your heart to believing victims the first time.” Roger Bonds, who served on Combs’ security staff from 2003 to 2012, said in a recent interview that he witnessed the Grammy-winning hip-hop star get violent with women “around four or five times” during his tenure. In her Instagram post, Ventura did not name her former on-again, off-again partner of 11 years, but she extended a hand to “those that are still living in fear.” She encouraged victims to “reach out to your people, don’t cut them off.” “No one should carry this weight alone,” she added, before noting that “this healing journey is never ending.” Ventura is one of six people who have sued Combs for sexual assault, among other allegations, in recent months.