Singer Duffy says she retreated from the spotlight after being ‘raped and drugged and held captive’

(WGN) -- Duffy opened up to her fans Tuesday in an Instagram post that explained why she stepped away from the spotlight nearly a decade ago.

The “Mercy” singer said she still wasn't sure now was the right time to share but that it felt “liberating” to do so.

“Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why,” she wrote. “The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days.”

Duffy says she survived and spent “thousands and thousands of days … committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again.”

“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. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke.”