Famous Singer Duffy, Who Was Considered Missing, Revealed She Was Kidnapped from Restaurant – What Happened?

• Duffy shared a harrowing account of kidnapping and assault.
• The Welsh singer-songwriter took a break from the public eye for nearly a decade.
• Fans have expressed overwhelming support upon her return to social media.

Duffy is a Welsh actress and composer born in Wales in the United Kingdom as Aimée Ann Duffy. She is mostly known for appearing in films including, “The Boat That Rocked,” “Filth” starring alongside Jaime Bell, Kate Dickie, Trudie Styler, and “Legend,” with Emily Browning.

The blonde beauty became an international sensation with her 2008 debut album "Rockferry," which earned a Grammy Award in 2009 for Best Pop Vocal Album, with a hit song, "Mercy." She was nominated for two more Grammys.

Duffy's early career was marked by staggering success. However, she encountered challenges with her music career. In 2013, she announced that she would be taking a break from the music business.

This came after she had a drop in sales of a newly released single then. Although the then-26-year-old singer shared this, she revealed she planned to release another album moving forward.

A friend at the time revealed the songwriter was "really down" because of how her last album "Endlessly" had performed. “It didn’t sell well and charted terribly and she isn’t trying again and making a comeback," said the source, adding, that she wanted to lead a quiet life and have a fresh start.

Amid the news, there was speculation that Duffy had some difficulty after severing ties with her main songwriter and producer, Bernard Butler. This also included the woman who discovered her, Jeannette Lee.

Around the same period, the music star also had to deal with a lawsuit. She counter-sued her former manager, Angela Becker, who previously managed Madonna.

Becker claimed Duffy owed her $250,000 in outstanding payments deemed a breach of management agreement. In her claim, Becker demanded 20% of Duffy's gross earnings from the time her second album "Endlessly" was launched. Following the claims, Duffy's lawyers disclosed that she would be counter-suing.

Another event that occurred around that time in Duffy's life, was the publicized breakup of her and her then-boyfriend, Mike Phillips, a rugby player. According to reports, there was strain on the couple's relationship due to the uncertainty regarding where Phillips, who played the scrum half position, would be playing the following season.

"It is a very unfortunate and sad situation but things had been deteriorating for quite a few months," an insider revealed then. The pair reportedly engaged in numerous arguments but eventually, the tension subsided. Despite attempts to rekindle their relationship, Duffy and Phillips finally called it quits amicably.

Following the ups and downs concerning her music career and relationship, Duffy made a comeback by releasing her first single "Whole Lot of Love," five years later in 2015. The song, along with two other tracks, formed part of the soundtrack list in the movie, "Legend," in which Duffy starred as late American singer, Timi Yuro.

Fast forward to a revelation that startled fans and the music world alike in April 2020, Duffy shed light on her prolonged absence from the public eye. The Welsh singer had disappeared from the limelight, leaving many to wonder about her whereabouts and well-being.

Her return to social media brought with it a shocking disclosure of kidnapping and assault, explaining the years of silence that had puzzled her fanbase.

The gravity of Duffy's ordeal became clear when she described the traumatic events she endured on her website: being drugged at a restaurant on her birthday, transported to a foreign country, and raped by her kidnapper.

She can barely recall getting on the plane and coming around in the back of a moving vehicle. She was put in a hotel room and the perpetrator returned and raped her. "I remember the pain and trying to stay conscious in the room after it happened," she recounted.

Duffy found herself stuck with the man who assaulted her for one more day and he did not even look her in the eyes. She walked behind him and was somewhat conscious and withdrawn. She added, "I could have been disposed of by him." Naturally, Duffy thought of running away but feared for her life and did not even have money to move around.

Moreover, she believed her kidnapper would call the police on her and that she would be tracked as a missing person. "I knew my life was in immediate danger, he made veiled confessions of wanting to kill me," said Duffy. With a bit of strength that she had then, her first instinct was to run away, and find a place to live, where he would not find her.

Her memory of what transpired while being drugged by the culprit in her own home for four weeks remains vague. "I do not know why I was not drugged overseas; it leads me to think I was given a class A drug and he could not travel with it," Duffy explained.

This experience plunged her into nearly a decade of isolation, grappling with the aftermath of the assault. However, Duffy's recent posts on social media have been infused with hope and resilience.

She expressed a renewed understanding of happiness, emphasizing that it begins within oneself. "A little something to motivate the heart. "Hope you are all doing well. Lots of love, Duffy," she captioned an inspirational clip she shared, marking her return after a four-year hiatus from social media.

"You’re going to realize that happiness was never about your job or your degree or being in a relationship,” the video voiceover began. [...] “One day you will realize that true happiness comes from within, and no external factors can define it. It was always about you. It was always about you," it concluded.

This gesture has been met with an outpouring of support from Duffy's followers. Fans from across the globe have shared words of comfort and admiration for her bravery, highlighting the profound impact of her story.

"Duffy! So wonderful to see a post from you!! Love from Jersey, USA," commented one fan, reflecting the widespread relief and joy at her return. Another shared, "We missed you," underscoring the sentiment felt by many.

Some people sympathized with Duffy after she edited a black and white picture of herself which she initially posted in June 2020. The image shows her looking down while sitting down in a black dress. Her Instagram followers shared words of comfort, writing, “I just read what happened on Wikipedia...oh pray you find peace and be yourself again.”

“You came to mind today Ms.Duffy! I pray your suffering is soon complete and you persevere. Sending positivity and strength,” someone else penned. Another stated, “Words are something that will never truly bring peace, but I pray that you always find light in the dark.”

“I don’t have the words to say how sorry I am and how incredible you are, I only hope with all my heart that your days continue to be filled with strength, resilience and above all else, happiness. You are so very loved,” one user expressed.

Duffy's story goes beyond her personal suffering, touching on themes of healing, the search for happiness, and the power of sharing one's truth. It's a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the importance of community support during times of crisis.