Abigail Breslin Spoke Out About Her Experience In “A Very Abusive Relationship”

Once again, Abigail Breslin is speaking out about her past to call attention to an important issue. In an Instagram post on Oct. 14, the Stillwater actor shared details about what she described as “a very abusive relationship.” Her caption explained that her goal is to raise awareness about October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the work that the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) does.

Breslin began with a trigger warning, letting her followers know that the post deals with sexual assault and domestic violence content. She then jumped into some of the specifics of her terrible situation. “I was in a very abusive relationship for close to 2 years,” the actor wrote. “It all started out perfectly, I was so in love. Unfortunately, my abuser took advantage of my innocence and naїveté and the relationship subsequently became violent.”

Her abuser would beat her “on a regular basis,” she wrote, as well as lock her in rooms. She recalled being “forced to pretend everything was ok and normal while dealing with intense injuries… injuries most people didn’t even see.” In addition to physical abuse, there was also a pattern of verbal abuse, including “a plethora of put downs [sic]” and “shaming.”

“I felt so unworthy of anyones [sic] love,” Breslin wrote. “I felt ugly and hated. I felt like I deserved less than dirt. I was certain, there must be something inherently WRONG with ME.”

While she said she was “the loneliest” she’d ever felt during that time, she credited her family and friends with ultimately helping her get out of the abusive relationship. “I am beyond thankful for the support of my family and friends who played an instrumental and invaluable role in helping me leave this horrible situation,” she added. “I will forever be indebted to those closest to me for them not only assisting me but, BELIEVING me.”

Breslin also wrote about having complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) now but said that it has gotten “much better than it was” in the first two to three years following the relationship; she’s now in “a wonderful, helpful, happy and amazing relationship” with fiancé Ira Kunyansky. “I still occasionally have nightmares, and certain things still do trigger me,” she explained. “I am still healing.”

Hoping to reach people in similar situations, she addressed survivors directly: “If you are in an abusive relationship currently, you 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.” She also included the number for NCADV’s 24-hour helpline.

In April 2017, Breslin similarly spoke out on Instagram, writing that she was raped by a past romantic partner to shed light on some of the reasons why victims don’t always report sexual assaults. “To say that rapes reported are the only rapes that count, contributes to the ideology that survivors of unreported rape don’t matter,” she wrote, in part. “It’s unfair, untrue and unhelpful.”

Her ongoing efforts to advocate for survivors, on the other hand, are very powerful.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org.