Supergirl star Melissa Benoist took to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon to share that she is a survivor of domestic violence. In a fourteen minute IGTV video titled “Life Isn’t Always What It Seemsâ€, Benoist read aloud from a letter that she had written. “I am a survivor of domestic violence or IPV (intimate partner violence), which is something I never thought I would say let alone be broadcasting into the ether.†She goes on to detail how the relationship with her abuser began, the violence that ensued, and her eventual escape from her abuser. Benoist never names her abuser, but describes him as “charming, funny, manipulative, devious†and younger than her.
Benoist provides detailed accounts of the violence she grew accustomed to at the hands of her abuser. She says, “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 he wall so hard the drywall broke, choked.†Fortunately, Benoist was eventually able to extricate herself from the situation, and hopes that sharing her story will help others do the same. “I choose to love,†Benoist says towards the end of her video. “I don’t choose to minimize my life out of fear. I choose to love myself, to know that love does not include violence, and to let victims know that there is a way out in which you will be protected.â€