Music
26 Mar 26

Duffy shares her assault story in newly announced Disney+ documentary

Duffy

“Duffy’s life has been shaped by success and fame, but equally by pain, defiance and an irrepressible sense of self," said the documentary’s director, Gill Callan.

Welsh singer-songwriter Duffy, best known for her 2008 worldwide smash hit ‘Mercy,’ is set to share the account of her kidnapping, sexual assault, and subsequent withdrawal from the music industry in a new Disney+ documentary.

Duffy's 2008 lead single, ‘Mercy’, from her debut album Rockferry, was a UK Singles Chart topper and a top-ten hit in twelve countries. In 2009, she received the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Rockferry, alongside three Brit Awards: British Breakthrough, Best British Female, and Best British Album.

Duffy officially stepped away from the public spotlight in 2011 following the traumatic events. Duffy first revealed the experience that led to her retreating from public life in a 2020 social media post.

The singer later provided extensive detail in a 3,000-word post on her website. She described being drugged at a restaurant on her birthday, subsequently drugged for a month, and taken to a foreign country by an assailant who threatened to kill her.

"It didn’t feel safe to go to the police," said Duffy. "I felt if anything went wrong, I would be dead, and he would have killed me. I could not risk being mishandled or it being all over the news during my danger." Though she eventually informed the police, she explained she felt "petrified" ever since the ordeal.

Regarding a potential return to music, she wrote at the time, "I’m doing this to be freed, for all of me to be freed. What follows remains to be seen."

The documentary will trace Duffy's life, from her childhood in Wales to her ascent to fame, and her subsequent withdrawal from the public eye after her kidnapping.

“Duffy’s life has been shaped by success and fame, but equally by pain, defiance and an irrepressible sense of self," said the documentary’s director, Gill Callan. "I’m drawn to the tension between vulnerability and confidence in her story and how a person can be deeply affected by their experiences, yet still find a powerful, expressive voice that is unmistakably hers.”