Supergirl star Melissa Benoist shared her domestic violence survival story in an emotional Instagram video. The actress did not hold back while speaking her truth in a deeply personal essay shinning a light on the subject of abuse.
Melissa began the video by announcing she is a “survivor of domestic violence or partner violence.” It is a label she would have never thought she would endure, much less speak about in a social media video. She admitted she had written her story down but did not want to edit it for publishing, so Melissa decided to read it in a video.
The violence started five months into Melissa’s relationship with her abuser. She never reveals the name of the partner who put her through such a traumatic life experience. Melissa recalls the first time he got violent with her, sharing that the man threw a smoothie at her face. The CW starlet said the bottle smacked her in the face and liquid went all over her face.
Sadly, there are several more examples that Melissa gives of incidents where the perpetrator was violent and abusive. She describes each encounter with explicit detail, full of sensitive information.
“The stark truth is I learned what it felt like to be pinned down and slapped repeatedly, punched so hard I felt the wind go out of me, dragged by my hair across pavement, head-butted, pinched until my skin broke, shoved against the wall so hard the drywall broke, choked,” she explained in the IGTV video.
After each violent encounter, her abuser would give the standard apology. Over time, though, his behavior not only physically hurt Melissa but turned her violent as well. She began to fight back against the abuse, which only escalated the trauma and his behavior.
#IStandWithMelissa #StrongerTogether Melissa Benoist is our supergirl ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/KotQdNc7HD
— ѲMaryѲ (@Marystar4) November 27, 2019
The abusive relationship began to take over her life. Melissa reveals that she started to turn down auditions because the perturbator didn’t like her kissing men. It was easier to not make friends or work with men in order to keep her partner happy. She didn’t want to hurt him, despite the physical violence he inflicted on her.
Melissa got up the courage to put a stop to the domestic violence by ending the relationship after he threw an iPhone at her. She ended up with a broken nose and nearly ruptured her eyeball from the one act of abuse.
However, leaving was not easy and it was not quick. It was a process that began with the actress letting people know she was a victim of abuse. Melissa admitted during the time of the violent relationship that she had perfected a poker face to keep anyone from discovering her truth.
Melissa Benoist's IG TV video about her traumatic experience due to IPVhttps://t.co/YaRdyKAUgx
If you have faced domestic violence, please call below number
1-800-799-SAFE(7233)
— MelissaBenoistUpdate (@melissabeupdate) November 27, 2019
The entire experience taught her what real love is and isn’t. It also showed Melissa she had more strength inside her than she ever knew existed.
“Breaking that cycle was the most rewarding, empowering choice I’ve ever made for myself. I feel an enduring strength. I will be healing from this for the rest of my life,” the actress expressed.
Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist is sharing her experience with domestic violence in a deeply personal essay video. She posted it on Instagram TV in the hope that her story can help at least one person get out of a domestic violence situation.