Heat (UK)

EVAN RACHEL WOOD: ‘I WILL NO LONGER BE SILENT’

The actress names Marilyn Manson as her abuser

- If you are affected by domestic violence, go to Womensaid.org/uk

Last week, actress Evan Rachel Wood posted a powerful statement on her Instagram, naming ex-fiancé Marilyn Manson as a dangerous and abusive man.

“The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson,” she wrote. “He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifical­ly abused me for years. I was brainwashe­d and manipulate­d into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliatio­n, slander, or blackmail. I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”

Evan, 33, had previously spoken about abuse suffered at the hands of an ex, often promoting Instagram accounts in support of abuse survivors, but this is the first time she has named somebody.

In 2018, Evan – who spent three years with Manson after meeting when she was 18 and he was 36 – fought a legal battle to get the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act passed in all 50 US states. She bravely recounted stories of her own suffering, telling the courts she had experience­d, “Toxic mental, physical and sexual abuse which started slow but escalated over time, including threats against my life, severe gaslightin­g and brainwashi­ng, waking up to the man that claimed to love me raping what he believed to be my unconsciou­s body.”

Multiple other women have since come forward to share their own allegation­s against the singer, citing racial, emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Rose Mcgowan, the #Metoo activist, has also thrown her support behind the women who have spoken out. A former fiancée

‘I am here to expose this dangerous man’

of the now 52-year-old, Rose tweeted, “It takes years to recover from abuse and I send them strength on their journey to recovery… Let the healing begin.”

After the allegation­s became public, Manson was dropped by his music label and cut from an upcoming TV series. He has publicly denied the claims, saying, “These recent claims about me are horrible distortion­s of reality. My intimate relationsh­ips have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. ”

US senator Susan Rubio has asked for an investigat­ion into Manson, writing that if there is not one, “We will be failing the victims and allowing a possible perpetrato­r to continue abusing unsuspecti­ng victims. ” n

 ??  ?? Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
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 ??  ?? Manson with Rose Mcgowan in 1999 www.heatworld.com
Manson with Rose Mcgowan in 1999 www.heatworld.com
 ??  ?? Evan and Manson in 2007
Evan and Manson in 2007

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