Abigail Breslin Shares Stories of Domestic Abuse


October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and 26-year-old Abigail Breslin dug into her own painful past late Friday in an effort of breaking the stigma of speaking out. She uploaded eight heartbreaking slides to Instagram containing a note detailing two years of violent abuse and subsequent feelings of misplaced guilt.

“I was in a very abusive relationship for close to 2 years,” the Zombieland star wrote. “It all started out perfectly,” she continued. “I was so in love. Unfortunately, my abuser took advantage of my innocence and naïveté and the relationship subsequently became violent. I was beaten on a regular basis, locked into rooms and forced to pretend everything was ok and normal while dealing with intense injuries… injuries most people didn’t even see.”

“I would use concealer and caked-on foundation to hide any and all bruises, because, in some way, I still cared for this person,” she wrote, adding, “[t]he physical injuries were also accompanied by a plethora of put-downs, shaming and harsh verbal abuse. I felt so unworthy of anyone’s love. I felt ugly and hated. I felt like I deserved less than dirt. I was certain, there must be something inherently WRONG with ME.”

Breslin went on to describe that, despite being victimized, she felt as if she were “a bitch, a problem, stupid, useless, ridiculous, overly sensitive, unreasonable, and unlovable.”

Self-blame in cases of domestic abuse, often a symptom of gaslighting, is an extremely common obstacle that keeps many people from asking for help. 

Breslin then thanked her family and friends who believed her and helped her exit the abusive relationship, and wrote about her current fiancé, Ira Kunyansky, and said that her complex post-traumatic stress disorder is better now than it was years ago, she still struggles with nightmares and triggers. “I am still healing,” she wrote, adding that while escaping a similar situation may seem impossible, there are resources that can offer help.

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The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Additionally, the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website, TheHotline.org, offers 24/7 call, chat, or text options. The site also has a prominent X so users can quickly clear their monitor. 





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