Whispers around Duffy’s name change that point to an explosive conclusion: As singer reveals how she was raped, drugged and held captive, KATIE HIND reveals twist

Fans would attack her on the street, easily spotting her thanks to her distinctive ’60s blonde updo.

His music was astronomically successful, thanks to ‘earworm’ hits such as Warwick Avenue and Mercy.

Garlands won three Brit Awards and a Grammy, as well as touring extensively in America.

Then Duffy, the soulful Welsh singer whose full name is Aimee Duffy, suddenly disappeared as she was about to start recording her third album.

Those who know the singer say he just ‘doesn’t want to be found’.

Since that moment in 2011, Duffy has lived a strikingly reclusive life at his palatial mansion in Surrey.

It was not seen publicly, there was only one social media post; Even those who worked hand in hand with him during his heyday by the end of the night say they probably won’t recognize him anymore.

Then, last week, to much surprise, Duffy announced that she would be making a public comeback – and from the sounds of it, it won’t be any small deal.

Duffy, now 41, will star in a deeply personal documentary that will be driven by “new, unprecedented access to a rich and nostalgic archive, as well as interviews with her family, friends and close colleagues in the music industry,” according to a press release from streaming giant Disney+.

“The story of his life will be told, from his upbringing in Wales, to his meteoric rise to fame, and his withdrawal from public life following his unimaginable experience,” the statement said.

This ‘incomprehensible experience’ is the truly shocking story of how Duffy was drugged and held captive in her home for four weeks after being targeted in a restaurant while celebrating her 26th birthday in 2010.

She was then put on a plane and taken to an unnamed foreign country, where she was raped in a hotel room. Duffy said he feared he would be “disposed of” before escaping from his captor’s clutches.

She described this ordeal in a harrowing 3,649-word account on her website in February 2020, stunning fans and, indeed, industry professionals who worked with her.

He detailed how this incident, understandably, had a devastating impact on his life and was the reason he took a step back from fame nine years ago.

“The truth is, please trust me, I am fine and safe now, I was raped, drugged and held captive for several days,” she wrote. ‘Many of you are wondering what happened to me, where I disappeared to and why.

‘Are you wondering why I didn’t choose to use my voice to express my pain? I didn’t want to show the world the sadness in my eyes.

‘I asked myself, how can I sing if my heart is broken?’

Some details were missing from his account at the time; He did not say the name of his kidnapper, the country he was taken to, when the attack took place, and there was no confirmation of a police investigation.

While speaking on the record and waiving her right to anonymity garnered much sympathy, unfortunately, she was also the subject of vicious trolling online, with some saying they did not believe her story.

Since that statement, neither Duffy nor his management team have provided further details about what happened.

In 2009, the singer performed at the Super Bock Festival in Lisbon, Portugal.

But it sounds from Disney’s press release that Duffy may be preparing to tell the world, if not about the attack itself, then certainly about the emotions that led her to withdraw from public life altogether.

And now, I can say that the singer was so desperate to remain invisible that on June 8, 2013 – two years after retiring from public life – she officially changed her name and chose a surname that sparked even more controversy around the star. Because he has been called Duffy Jones for the last 13 years.

Her choice of ‘Jones’ fueled rumors swirling that she was the daughter of Welsh singing legend Tom Jones in his heyday.

Duffy has flatly denied these claims, insisting that her father was a pub landlord called John from the small seaside town of Nefyn in North Wales. No matter how much he insists, his new surname will definitely set tongues wagging again.

One of Duffy’s colleagues told me: ‘Of course Jones is a very Welsh surname, but it’s very strange to use it after the rumors about Tom. They always got along very well too.’

Indeed, viewers of the Brit awards in 2009 would have seen Tom present Duffy with his two gongs that night; Best album and best debut group.

So why the name change and why has Duffy chosen to make a comeback now?

There is some suggestion among those who worked with her that a financial reward might eventually prove very tempting for a woman who bought her substantial property in Surrey at the height of her career. Someone in the music industry thought, ‘It might be helpful to increase the money he makes.’

‘Big houses are expensive to maintain these days.’

Katie Hind reveals Duffy has signed with music manager Ben Mawson at TaP Management

This dovetails with the news I heard a few months ago that she had signed with music executive Ben Mawson at TaP Management. A confident individual, he is famous for securing lucrative deals for his artists and has a knack for building ‘brands’.

In fact, he was the man behind Dua Lipa’s success before her father Dukagjin took over her management four years ago, and he also speaks highly of Ellie Goulding’s star status before parting ways with her three months ago.

He is said to have been instrumental in arranging the huge paycheck from Disney and encouraging Duffy to restart her career.

A source told me: ‘There have been many attempts at a comeback; Meetings were held with senior figures in the industry to discuss a new album. By 2018 and 2019, conversations were being had with former members of the team who worked with him during all those great years, and everyone was getting excited.

‘But then suddenly there was silence again. ‘All these people who said they were ready to be part of his return to the spotlight were cut off and heard nothing more – until he posted what had happened to him online.’

“We weren’t told anything anymore,” says another music insider who contacted him in 2020, shortly before he made the statement. ‘I actually haven’t heard from Duffy since I wrote this. It was like he was having a really hard time, no one could reach him.’

But now my source says: ‘The involvement of Disney money certainly must have made a difference. A Disney deal would be eye-wateringly big.

‘If anything could bring him out of retirement and back into public life, it’s this.

‘It would be extremely difficult to turn down.’ Even with all this professional guidance, there’s no doubt that stepping back into the public eye will be an extremely nerve-wracking experience for Duffy.

‘I hope Duffy, who admits he has spent “almost a decade completely alone” since his attack, can cope with the reality of his return.”

His two studio albums, 2008’s Rockferry, named after the Welsh town where he spent his childhood with his grandmother, and its 2010 follow-up, Endless, have been his only releases so far, and both have topped the charts.

He was known to have a soft heart and a sensitive soul, prone to pain about fame. Even before revealing the details of his attack, he admitted that he had difficulty attracting public attention.

And of course, the world of celebrity has changed immeasurably in the interim; more scrutiny, more social media, infinitely more attention.

It is hoped Duffy, who admitted to having spent ‘almost a decade completely alone’ since his attack, can cope with the reality of his return.

In his statement in 2020, he thanked his psychologist and said he felt he could ‘leave this decade behind’, but added: ‘I very much doubt I will be the person people once knew.’

Sources also claim that the untimely death of Duffy’s mother last year ‘changed’ her mindset about her career. His relationship with his family became complicated over the years; He experienced a period of rebellion in adolescence after his parents separated and he ran away from home.

He had become estranged from his family following the attack, but was trying to rebuild relationships with loved ones, including his mother, when she died unexpectedly after suffering a stomach ulcer.

No date has been given for the documentary to air, but there will certainly be a lot of anticipation for how much it might have changed when it does.

Will she still be blonde, stunning and stylish? Or will she completely reshape her look?

While the image on the management company’s website appears to be from several years ago, the last post on the social media page (the only post left after all others were deleted) is six years old, from June 2020.

In this clip, he unveils his new music, the track River In The Sky, and the revival of his signature sound.

The music is set in front of a black and white photo that showcases her signature style, blonde hair flowing down to her shoulders, and a classic black dress.

‘Who knows what Duffy will be like now,’ says one of his former colleagues.

‘But we’re so happy to have him back.’