R&B singer Cassie has said "the healing journey is never ending" and asked people to "open your heart to believing victims the first time" after security footage appeared to show her being assaulted by her former partner Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
The rapper has apologised and "committed to be a better man" after the video from 2016 emerged.
The footage, obtained by US outlet CNN, appears to depict Combs wearing only a white towel chasing his former partner, real name Casandra Ventura, and kicking her on the ground in a Los Angeles hotel corridor.
The footage also appears to show the US music mogul dragging Cassie, and throwing a vase in her direction.
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In a statement on Instagram, Cassie said: "Thank you for all the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet.
"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.
"Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask if that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time.
"It take a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.
"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."
The video has been dated 5 March, 2016 and seems to match a description of an incident at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in a now-settled lawsuit originally filed by the singer in November.
The court document said: "In or around March 2016, during an FO at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Mr Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye."
Cassie claimed she was a victim of rape and violent behaviour during their decade-long relationship in the lawsuit, which was settled a day after it was filed at a New York federal court.
Earlier in the week, another sexual assault lawsuit was filed against Combs, the latest in a string of allegations against the American rapper as he increasingly comes under scrutiny for his treatment of women.
Cassie and Combs started a relationship after meeting when she was 19 and he was 37.
Source: Press Association
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