FKA Twigs is opening up about the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of Shia LaBeouf while they were dating. The singer filed a lawsuit against LaBeouf in December accusing him of sexual battery, assault, and emotional distress. Speaking in an interview on the "Grounded With Louis Theroux" podcast on Monday, FKA Twigs elaborated on the allegations.
Things were going well when they first started dating but it was not long before LaBeouf tried to control her through "grooming" and "the pushing of your emotional and spiritual boundaries," FKA Twigs said, according to Billboard. The "Transformers" actor would allegedly grow jealous if she spoke to other men and would question her love for him.
"Being nice to a waiter, or being polite to somebody, that could be seen as me flirting or wanting to engage in some sort of relationship with somebody else, when I'm literally just ordering pasta," she said. "I was told that I knew what he was like and if I loved him, I wouldn't look men in the eye. That was my reality for a good four months."
FKA Twigs recalled times when LaBeouf would reportedly wake her up in the middle of the night accusing her of plotting to leave him for somebody else. During the interview, she also revisited the memory of when he allegedly threatened to crash the car unless she declared her love for him, then ended up "basically strangling me at a gas station."
In her filing, FKA Twigs explained that she and LaBeouf were returning to Los Angeles after visiting the desert when he reportedly grew aggressive. During the trip, the recording artist claims she woke up to LaBeouf choking her, according to the filing, The New York Times reported.
The documents state that FKA Twigs told him to pull over. When they stopped at a gas station, she exited the car but LaBeouf allegedly threw her against the vehicle then forced her back into it.
After the incident, FKA Twigs contacted a helpline for abused women and it was a "massive wakeup call." Speaking on why she chose to come forth with her claims, the singer said she hoped her story would help others.
"This is something that was completely unexpected. I never thought something like this would happen to me … When I'm older, if I have a daughter, I want to be able to say, 'This thing happened to me. And I dealt with it,'" she said. "It's a big thing to heal publicly and have to do it in front of everyone, but I can do it. I'm a big girl and I can do it."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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