Singer Duffy recounts kidnapping and sexual assault in new Disney+ documentary

The new documentary will chronicle the singer’s life nearly 15 years after she was attacked.

Welsh singer and songwriter Duffy pictured in 2008. Picture: AP Photo/Danny Moloshok

Welsh singer Duffy will feature in a new documentary recounting her rise to fame and subsequent kidnapping and sexual assault for the first time.

The 41-year-old, known for the songs Mercy and Warwick Avenue, will open up about her life and time away from the public eye in a new Disney+ feature-length documentary.

The star, whose real name is Aimee Anne Duffy, shot to fame in the late 2000s following the release of her debut album Rockferry.

Her best-known hit single from this record, Mercy, was a UK number one for five weeks in 2008, and propelled the singer to international success.

She went on to release a second album, Endlessly, in 2010 before withdrawing from the public eye.

The singer revealed nearly a decade later that she had been drugged, raped and held captive.

The new documentary will chronicle the singer’s life, from her upbringing in Wales to her music career to the present, nearly 15 years after she was attacked.

Welsh singer and songwriter Duffy in 2009. Picture: AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau

The film will also include interviews with the singer’s family, friends, and close peers in the music industry.

Director Gill Callan said: “Duffy’s life has been shaped by success and fame, but equally by pain, defiance, and an irrepressible sense of self.

“I’m drawn to the tension between vulnerability and confidence in her story and how a person can be deeply affected by their experiences, yet still find a powerful, expressive voice that is unmistakably hers.” 

Sean Doyle, vice president of unscripted at Disney+, added: “This film will give Duffy the chance to tell her story in her own words.

“We set out in a search for impactful, female-led stories in collaboration with Northern Ireland Screen, and it’s a privilege that Duffy’s is the first we’re able to help tell. But above all, I’m especially in awe of Duffy – for her honesty and courage to share her story.” 

Duffy’s debut album Rockferry went on to win the Grammy award for best pop vocal album in 2009 along with three Brit awards including best British female, British breakthrough act and British album.

In 2010 she released her album Endlessly, featuring the song Well Well Well, which peaked at number nine in the UK album charts.

During the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Duffy shared a song titled Something Beautiful with BBC Radio 2, however, the track was never officially released.