“…I hope that telling my story will prevent more stories like this from happening. If you are enduring what I went through and you see this, you might be able to find the tiny straw that will break the camel’s back.”
Supergirl Star Melissa Benoist Details Domestic Abuse She Claims To Have Suffered
JB Augustine
|
Nov 29, 2019
Supergirl actress Melissa Benoist went public with her past claiming she was a domestic abuse sufferer. The Supergirl star read a written statement in a 14-minute Instagram video, detailing her experience openly on social media for the first time.
Below is a snippet of what she posted:
#Supergirl star Melissa Benoist speaks out about domestic violence in a 14-minute Instagram video:
“I am a survivor of domestic violence, or IPV, intimate partner violence.” pic.twitter.com/bPjZLOY4ip
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 27, 2019
Related: Batwoman and Supergirl Viewership Continues to Decline as Ratings Stay Steady
Benoist confessed she would lie to protect her abuser and called the form of domestic violence she went through – “intimate partner violence” or “IPV” for short – “a more prevalent women’s issue.”
The full video made it to YouTube and you can watch it here:
She recalled an incident where her abuser threw a smoothie at her which “smacked my cheek and exploded all over the floor and the sofa.” Another instance involving an iPhone thrown at her face left Benoist with a torn iris, a broken nose, ongoing vision problems, and caused an eyeball to almost rupture.
Things escalated and she described her ordeals:
“I learned what it felt like to be pinned down and slapped repeatedly, punched so hard the wind would go out of me, dragged by my hair across pavement, head-butted, pinched until my skin broke, shoved into a wall so hard the drywall broke, choked.”
Benoist opened up to a friend which helped and began to break the cycle. “The more people I let in, the more I was bolstered,” she stated.
By coming forward, the actress hopes to draw attention to IPV and encourage others to speak out about their struggles:
In a follow-up Instagram post, she shared images of another statement thanking those who watched her video and, writing she is one of many IPV survivors, and provided information for others to reach out or find out how they can raise awareness.
Benoist wrote the following in the caption:
“The long and winding road of healing and reconciliation has brought me to this moment where I feel strong enough to talk about my experience openly, honestly and without shame.”
She didn’t name her abuser but most believe it is ex-husband and former Glee costar Blake Jenner. The details and timeline add up. Benoist said he was younger and Jenner is – he is 27, she is 31.
The incident resulting in her eye injury occurred in 2015 and she was married to Jenner at the time. They later divorced and it was finalized in 2017.
Melissa Benoist details how her abuser threw a phone at her face, rupturing her eyeball and breaking her nose.
Benoist never revealed her abuser, she only mentions him being younger than her. According to timeframe of the incident, Blake Jenner was her BF at the time of injury. pic.twitter.com/MvBcES3M02
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 27, 2019
Benoist has since remarried. She is now with Chris Wood who played Mon-El on Supergirl. Wood tweeted his support for his wife over Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m going to kiss my wife and hold her tenderly. All day. And every day. How do YOU show love? #IStandWithMelissa
— Chris Wood (@CHRIStophrWOOD) November 28, 2019
Jenner continues to act and has two 2016 Supergirl episodes to his credit.
Share:
More About:Celebrity