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Shia LaBeouf dubbed ‘sick person’ as FKA Twigs says he slammed her against car, strangled and tried to choke her

In an interview, when asked how she survived the abusive relationship with the actor, Twigs said, 'I think it’s luck'

British singer, Tahliah Debrett Barnett, popularly known as FKA twigs sat down with ELLE magazine to detail the abuse she faced at the hands of her former boyfriend, 'Transformers' actor Shia LaBeouf. The interview happened with the singer at her London home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as she recounted the abuse over a Zoom call. The article is raw in its vulnerability as the singer says, "It's a miracle I came out alive."

Trying to explain her abuse using a metaphor, FKA Twigs said, "If you put a frog in a boiling pot of water, that frog is going to jump out straight away. Whereas if you put a frog in cool water and heat it up slowly, that frog is going to boil to death. That was my experience being with [LaBeouf].” 

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‘Do I jump out of the car at 80 miles an hour?’

The abuse the singer faced ranged from emotional and verbal to even physical as she explained that her former actor boyfriend had "calculated, systematic, tricky, and mazelike" patterns in order to control his then-girlfriend. The straw that broke the camel's back was when the couple had spent Valentine's Day together in the year 2019 and went to a spa. This is not the first time the public is hearing of this, as the singer had filed a civil lawsuit against LaBeouf last year in December.

The complaint revealed that FKA Twigs was woken up to LeBeouf's hand around her neck, strangling her saying, "If you don’t stop, you are going to lose me." The next morning didn't see things easier, as the singer said that LaBeouf was driving "maniacally," demanding that she profess her love for him as she braced for impact. "I was thinking to myself, ‘I wonder what would happen to my body...if [we] smashed into a wall at 80 miles per hour?’ I was looking for the airbag and I couldn’t see the airbag sign, so I was thinking, ‘If he doesn’t have an airbag, will this car crush my sternum?’ ”

She added, “I was thinking, ‘Oh no, if I crouch like that, and the front of the car crashes into my head, will it snap my neck?’” Her mind raced with terrifying possibilities. At one point, she considered jumping out of the moving vehicle as it barreled down the highway. ‘Do I jump out of the car at 80 miles an hour?’” When Twigs tried to escape, she was choked and pushed back into the car.

How did FKA Twigs survive her abuse? 

In the ELLE interview, when asked how she survived the abusive relationship with the actor, Twigs said, "I think it’s luck. I honestly wish I could say that I found some strength and I saw this light. I wish I could say, ‘[It is] a testament to my strong character,’ or ‘It’s the way my mother raised me.’ It’s none of that. It’s pure luck that I’m not in that situation anymore.”

Twigs also brought up a very important topic of domestic abuse as she spoke of how when the Covid-19 lockdown had started, she had come to realize that many women were now stuck at home with their abusers. "People wouldn’t think that it would happen to a woman like me. The biggest misconception is, ‘Well, you’re smart. If it was that bad, why didn’t you leave?’", said Twigs. "It can happen to anyone. It made me realize I need to come forward and talk about my experience.”

In order to become the success that she is, Twigs had to go through many obstacles, but as she told ELLE, nothing compared to the abuse. "What I went through with my abuser is, hands down, the worst thing [I’ve experienced] in the whole of my life. Recovering has been the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do.”

‘If he shoots me, they will put the puzzle together’

The gun, the publication said, had first made an appearance in November 2018, with Twigs saying that she feared waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom because she was scared LaBeouf might accidentally shoot her thinking she was an intruder. She even sent a picture of the gun to her manager, "I thought to myself, ‘If he shoots me, and then if there is some sort of investigation, they will put the pieces together. I need to leave little clues.’"

Even more disturbingly, the singer said that the actor would "brag about shooting stray dogs" as that apparently helped him "get into character" for his role in the 'The Tax Collector." When Twigs confronted LaBeouf asking him why he was doing this, she said, he said, "he was like, ‘Because I take my art seriously. You’re not supporting me in my art. This is what I do. It’s different from singing. I don’t just get up on a stage and do a few moves. I’m in the character.’ He made me feel bad like I didn’t understand what it was like to be an actor or to do this...Method [acting technique].”

‘I teared up reading this interview’

The ELLE interview was hard for many to read let alone wonder what Twigs must have gone through during her relationship with the actor. Many took to Twitter to cancel LaBeouf adamantly calling him an abuser as they asked for justice for Twigs. "Also F*CK you Shia LaBeouf for doing what you did to my girl FKA Twigs. It got to a point where she didn’t know if she was going to live or not like what the fck man!!!!," wrote one user.

Another added, "Abuser to FKA twigs and shooting stray dogs for fun? Sick stuff. It's clear there has been something unhinged about Shia LaBeouf for a while. That stuff escalating would make worry about serial killer behavior. Glad she got out. Clearly his behavior was enabled by many." Another added, "I teared up reading this interview. Shia LaBeouf is an abuser and just a sick, disgusting person. He is dangerous. I will not watch his movies or support him in anyway. He needs to be dealt with."

‘I hope she can finally heal from all the trauma’

Many chose to believe FKA Twigs and support her during this hard time as she had recounted her abuse, as one user wrote, "I believe @FKAtwigs because Shia was abused by his aint Shid father. Phenomenal actor he was, but he was dealing with a lot of mental & physical abuse. Which he so accustomed to it that he clearly is f**ked up mentally."

Another added, "Thank you! for sharing your story @FKAtwigs especially the hard learned insights about psychological abuse. So many interviews skip the love bombing, aggression and tests that abusers use to control Everyone around them, creating a tribe where everyone is focused on the abuser." "Wow as successful as FKA twigs is this just proves abuse can be endured by anyone. So truly upsetting. I hope she can finally heal from all the trauma he put her through," said another user.