[Source: CNN Entertainment]

Cassie Ventura has shared a statement expressing her gratitude for the support she has received since CNN’s publication of a 2016 surveillance video that showed her being physically assaulted by her then-boyfriend, Sean “Diddy” Combs.

“Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet,” Ventura wrote in a post shared on Instagram. “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning.”

Ventura continued, “Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”

She then turned her focus to seek support for others.

“My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in,” Ventura wrote.

“I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone.”

“This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me,” she concluded her message.

Combs and Ventura dated off and on from 2007 to 2018. In her complaint that was settled within a day of its filing in November 2023, Ventura alleged Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to years of repeated physical and other abuses over the course of their relationship.

Combs has denied her allegations.

“A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, told CNN in a statement in November.

“Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”

Combs apologized on Sunday for his actions in the surveillance video.