Abigail Breslin admits to being a victim of domestic violence: 'I'm getting better.'
Abigail Breslin revealed that she survived domestic violence and dated an abuser that beat her and made her hide her injuries for two years.
“As a DV survivor I felt compelled to write a little bit about my story. I was in a very abusive relationship for close to 2 years,” Breslin, 26, wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram on Friday along with a trigger warning.
The “Little Miss Sunshine” star, who was sharing her experience to honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month, explained that the relationship started out “perfectly” and she was “so in love” but that her abuser took advantage of her “innocence and naïveté” before things turned violent.
“I was beaten on a regular basis, locked into rooms and forced to pretend everything was ok and normal while dealing with intense injuries…injuries most people didn’t even see,” Breslin, who didn’t name her abuser, wrote.
Breslin said she would use concealer and foundation to hide her bruises because she wanted to protect her abuser, saying, “in some way, I still cared for this person.”
But the abuse wasn’t just physical, as her abuser was emotionally manipulative as well.
“The physical injuries were also accompanied by a plethora of put downs, shaming and harsh verbal abuse,” she said. “I felt so unworthy of anyones love. I felt ugly and hated. I felt like I deserved less than dirt. I was certain, there must be something inherently WRONG with ME.”
The actress said that those two years she dated her abuser was a time where she felt the most alone and thanked her family and friends who helped her leave the “horrible” relationship.
“I will forever be indebted to those closest to me for them not only assisting me but, BELIEVING me,” Breslin said.
She also shared that her complex post traumatic stress disorder is “much better” than it was 2 to 3 years out of her abusive relationship, but that she still has “moments.”
“I still occasionally have nightmares, and certain things still do trigger me,” she wrote, adding, “I’m healing.”
She ended her post by sharing with fans that if they are in an abusive relationship, they “CAN get out of it.”
“I know it seems impossible and terrifying, but you have survived so much and you CAN survive leaving if you have the right tools and support.”
Fortunately, Breslin shared that she is now in a “wonderful, healthy, happy and amazing” relationship with her fiancé Ira Kunyansky.
Breslin anounced that she and Kunyansky got engaged in February. It’s unclear how long they had been dating but she first shared a photo of him back in November 2017.
