Debbie Harry has said being raped hasn’t had a lasting impact on her life.
In the early Seventies, the Blondie singer was held at knifepoint by a stranger who forced his way into the New York apartment she shared with her boyfriend and band co-founder, Chris Stein. The man tied up the pair, stole some of Harry’s guitars and assaulted her.
In Harry’s new memoir, Face It, she recalls the incident as follows: “I can’t say that I felt a lot of fear. In the end, the stolen guitars hurt me more than the rape.”
Now, expanding on her reaction in an interview with The Guardian, the 74-year-old says that while she felt “angry” and “victimised”, she was not physically harmed.
“Being raped – or f***ed – by some stranger against my will at knifepoint, you know... it wasn’t a happy moment in my life,” Harry told the publication.
“But I really, seriously, empathise with women who are beaten. That would be something that [would lead to] emotional ramifications for the rest of my life. But this doesn’t.”
The singer acknowledges that her response might sound “ludicrous” but insists that she “went on with [her] life” and did not seek counselling.
Given how shocking her comments will be to some, Harry explained she considered leaving her thoughts about the incident out of the book but ultimately decided not to “because it’s part of the story”.
When asked whether or not the assault had a lasting impact on her, Harry said she “didn’t want it to”.
Harry continued: “I just said: ‘I’m not hurt, I’m alive, I’m doing what I want to do, I have a wonderful boyfriend’ – and that was it.
“I had to consider what was important to me, and being a victim was really not who I wanted to be.”
If you have been affected by rape or sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999 or visit rapecrisis.org.uk
