Cassie Ventura speaks out for first time since Diddy assault footage surfaces

Cassie Ventura addressed the disturbing video that showed her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting her in a hotel back in 2016 for the first time Thursday, saying it “broke me down to someone I never thought I would become.”

“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 statement posted to 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. 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.”

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and actress Cassie Ventura attends seen together in 2016. Getty Images

Disturbing surveillance video shows Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs beating, dragging Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016. CNN

She continued, “Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. 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,” she went on to write.

“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. Thank you. Love Always, Cassie,” she concluded.

In the video released by CNN over the weekend, Combs was seen throwing Ventura, his then-girlfriend, to the floor in a hotel before kicking her, dragging her down a hallway and then throwing things at her.