Warning: Some readers may find the content of this article upsetting and/or distressing.
Singer Aimee Anne Duffy - also known as 'Duffy' - has said she was "drugged, raped and held captive" in a statement posted on Instagram yesterday evening.
The 35-year-old singer shot to fame following her successful 2008 album, 'Rockferry', but later retreated from the spotlight.
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Posting on her Instagram account yesterday evening, she wrote: "You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this.
"The way I would write it, how I would feel thereafter. Well, not entirely sure why now is the right time, and what it is that feels exciting and liberating for me to talk. I cannot explain it.
"Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why. A journalist contacted me, he found a way to reach me and I told him everything this past summer.
"He was kind and it felt so amazing to finally speak. The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days.
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"Of course I survived. The recovery took time. There's no light way to say it. But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine."
The popstar, from Nefyn in Gwynedd, Wales, did not state when the attack happened but explained she would be posting "a spoken interview" over the following weeks.
"You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes," she continued.
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"I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke. In the following weeks I will be posting a spoken interview.
"If you have any questions I would like to answer them, in the spoken interview, if I can. I have a sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years.
"You have been friends. I want to thank you for that x Duffy."
Duffy also asked followers to be supportive, adding: "Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family. Please support me to make this a positive experience."
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Following the success of hit tracks 'Mercy' and 'Warwick Avenue', Duffy's album 'Rockferry' became the UK's biggest selling album of 2008, also winning three BRIT awards for British Breakthrough, Best British Female and Best British Album.
She also bagged a Grammy for the album the following year.
Duffy went on to release a follow-up album, 'Endlessly' in 2010 and released one other track, 'Whole Lot Of Love' in 2015.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, or need help, support or advice, please visit the Rape Crisis website or call the helpline on 0808 802 9999.