Please tell somebody......

Today I've completed day 1 of a 2 day Domestic Violence (DV) course.

I started off introducing myself and stating I'd had no experience of DV. As the morning went on I quickly realised that I had been a victim when I was younger. At 17 I met and fell in love with a guy 14 years my senior. It started out so well.... Then he wouldn't socialise with my friends, slated friends and family, told me what to wear, shouted at me, called me names, drank a LOT, spent all of my inheritance money & the final straw was on my 21st birthday when he had sex with me whilst I was "asleep" or so he thought. It then took me 6 months to hatch a plan to leave him. With the help of friends and family I finally called it a day. I had next to no friends, I was a depressed mess and was frightened of my future.

Now life couldn't be better for me! I'm a survivor!

So if you're suffering, please don't suffer in silence. Tell somebody, anybody and keep yourself safe.

This is probably the most open and honest blip I've done to date!

One stat that's stuck with me from today is that victims will have told 35 people about DV they are experiencing before they call the police.

DV is nothing to be ashamed of for men or women. Luckily I was only subjected to it for 4 years. If you are reading this and any of it rings true, just tell somebody.

Ciao for now xxx