Rebecca Ferguson is opening up about shocking allegations of how she’s been treated in the music industry.
In a “statement of truth” posted to social media, the 31-year-old songstress — who you may remember as the X-Factor runner-up back in 2010 — wrote an emotional message detailing years of “abuse, bullying and the total misuse of power.”
She wrote of her reasoning for speaking out about the “systematic bullying”:
“I have written this statement today unable to stay silent anymore however still fearful and also at a great risk to my future career in music but choosing to exercise my human right of freedom of speech and human expression, this is something I cannot continue to run away from I refuse to operate in fear. I’m still living this, and I know there are many others too! I have not spoken completely on all of the abuses I have suffered yet.”
The allegations from her lengthy letter allege that she was “forced to sign a contract” and after she refused, she was told “if you do not sign it you will not have a career.”
Related: Karl Lagerfeld Has Opinions About The #MeToo Movement
She says the treatment got worse after she found pre-cancerous cells in her body, causing her to collapse three times:
“Things got worse, and over this period I became very ill, I had a physical collapse, and medical staff told me ‘your body has given up.’ I then went on to have tests that showed I had pre-cancerous cells. I collapsed three times and started to see and feel myself lose who I was, but still, I felt I had to smile in interviews to maintain how amazing my life was but in actual reality I was unhappy.”
Ferguson also claims she was often the victim of racist remarks from her unnamed oppressors:
“I was requested to do a gig and told, ‘They want you because you’re a black face.’ ‘You need to do it.’ ‘Nobody gives a shit about you what else are you going to do?'”
Ugh. Read her full statement (below):
Statement of truth..
Read: https://t.co/9Iqr167Zip
— Rebecca Ferguson (@RebeccaFMusic) May 10, 2018
She followed up her statement on Twitter, writing:
You will no longer attempt to bully or silence innocent people your time has come to an end it stops today! and maybe the press won’t print it out of fear, but you can’t stop the voice of the people. Your going to treat people better or we will name you!
— Rebecca Ferguson (@RebeccaFMusic) May 11, 2018
I will report my allegations today to you hopefully you will give me a legitimate crime reference number! @metpoliceuk and investigate, as it is in the public interest!
— Rebecca Ferguson (@RebeccaFMusic) May 11, 2018
There├óΓé¼Γäós only so long they can hold back the press for… and the fact the public is noticing it├óΓé¼Γäós being done purposefully is making it much worse! It looks bad, They├óΓé¼Γäóre hoping it will blow over.. #timesup
— Rebecca Ferguson (@RebeccaFMusic) May 11, 2018
Wow. We’ll keep you posted as this moves forward. Hang in there, bb.
[Image via Instagram.]
