Ex NXIVM Member Engaged

Former NXIVM member India Oxenberg is engaged and finding healing through her fiancé. For seven years Oxenberg was starved and sexually abused by the cult's leader, Keith Raniere. The 29-year-old, who joined NXIVM in 2011, previously revealed that she was forced to become his slave. It was not easy to return to normal life after escaping the cult but finding love with 30-year-old chef Patrick D'Ignazio has helped her work through much of her trauma, Oxenberg told Daily Mail in an interview published on Thursday. 

The pair met at a New York City pizza restaurant. At the time, Oxenberg had moved from NXIVM's headquarters in upstate New York and was looking for a job. 

"I had just left Albany and I was looking for work. I must have applied to 20 different places. At that point if you Googled me it was 'branded sex slave,' 'Keith Raniere's sex slave,'" she said. "Nobody wanted to rent me an apartment or hire me. But finally I became a manager of a restaurant in the East Village, and that's where I met my now-fiancé." 

Last October the couple got engaged and are now living in Los Angeles. 

"I actually have love in my life. I have a wonderful fiancé who's a chef. He helped me heal my relationship with food and get back in the kitchen which I love," Oxenberg said. "With Patrick, I just told him everything. I told him as much as I could, but I couldn't get it all out at first. It took me months to get some of these stories or memories out, even to him," she continued. "He was genuinely curious about what my experiences were, without judgment." 

Last month Raniere, who maintains his innocence, was sentenced to 120 years for turning some adherents into sex slaves branded with his initials. After his sentencing, Oxenberg opened up about why she decided to join NXIVM. 

In an interview with Business Insider, the 29-year-old explained that she was lured in by Raniere’s recruitment style, which she said bore similarities to multilevel-marketing tactics, and that she was forced to hand over ''collateral'' to prove her dedication to the group. 

"The way that they pitched it was that this was going to be a practical MBA and that it was going to be my version of alternative education," Oxenberg said, "They said I was going to gain the skills that I needed in order to be successful in my life. And on top of it, they also sold that they would be able to remove illogical fears that were holding you back from going all in on any of your projects." 

"It was exactly what I wanted and what I felt like I needed," she added. "So I was like, 'Sign me up.'"

• Dynasty Star: I Lost Hope When My Daughter Was in a Cult 
• Keith Raniere, Cult Leader, Arrested for Alleged Sex Trafficking