FKA Twigs is opening up about her decision to come forward with abuse allegations against ex Shia LaBeouf.
The British “cellophane” singer, 34, told GQ that the tranquility she projected at the time she filed a lawsuit against the “Disturbia” star, 36, for sexual battery in December 2020 is among her “greatest achievements.”
“One of the greatest achievements of the whole of my life was keeping my s— together,” said the Grammy nominee, born Tahliah Debrett Barnett. “It was one of the things that I’m most proud of, that I was able to go on tour and do interviews and stay graceful and keep that calmness.”
“I don’t even know if it’s right or wrong that I was able to do that,” she continued.
Either way, she regards that reaction “as a testament to my upbringing and a testament to how much I love my art and a testament to how much I want to show up for people that bought tickets to my gig, because sometimes it was so difficult.”
Twigs, whose relationship with LaBeouf started not long after they filmed 2019′s “Honey Boy,” went on to say that her decision to go public with her experience was in service to others.
“I just didn’t want anyone else to get hurt, and that trumped any way that I felt about what people may think about me now, positively or negatively,” she shared. “If I ever have children, I want them to know that I stood up for myself, and that’s important. And sometimes, standing up for yourself is messy. Sometimes it can cause more trauma, and sometimes it can be dividing. People don’t expect you to stand up for yourself, but I did and I’m proud of it, and what happened to me wasn’t right.”
Twigs in her filing recounted what she said were past attacks suffered at the hands of LaBeouf, including one over Valentine’s Day 2019 which allegedly saw him “strangling” the singer.
“Shia LaBeouf hurts women. He uses them. He abuses them both physically and mentally. He is dangerous,” read the complaint.
At the time the filing was made, LaBeouf — who has claimed “many of these allegations are not true” — told the New York Times in an email: “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years.”
A jury trial date has been set for April 17.
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