FKA Twigs has admitted she still does not feel “safe”, months after reaching a private settlement in her long-running domestic abuse lawsuit against former partner Shia LaBeouf.
The British singer, real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett, 37, filed the case in 2020, accusing the actor of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress during their relationship. She had been seeking $10 million in damages.
Court documents confirmed the lawsuit was formally dismissed with prejudice in July this year, meaning it cannot be brought back to court.
Both parties released a joint statement at the time, saying they had agreed to resolve the matter outside of court and wished one another “personal happiness, professional success and peace in the future”.
However, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Twigs said the resolution has not erased the impact of her experience.
“I wouldn’t say I feel safe,” she admitted. “I feel really passionate about being involved with organisations such as Sistah Space and No More, to help survivors in any way that I can. I think it’s less about me at this point and more about looking forward. Just, you know, moving on with my life.”
Twigs and LaBeouf met while working on his 2019 semi-autobiographical film Honey Boy, where she was cast in a supporting role.
They later began dating, but her lawsuit alleged a series of disturbing incidents during their time together.
Among the claims, she accused LaBeouf of knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease, physically assaulting her, and threatening to crash a car with her inside. LaBeouf denied the allegations.
Speaking in the new profile, which accompanies THR’s special music issue, Twigs reflected on how the trauma still shapes her.
She said she often becomes emotional when hearing fans sing back lyrics from songs she wrote during that difficult period.
“I wrote them at a time when I felt very scared — scared for myself, scared for my future as an artist, scared for my future as a human,” she told the publication. “I worry about community. Whether it’s women or the trans or queer communities or people of colour, I have these huge thoughts that keep me awake at night.”
The feature was accompanied by a striking photoshoot showing the musician in a nude corset and high-fashion lingerie, while elsewhere this week she was spotted in Paris.
Twigs put on a glamorous display in a black gown with a diamond-encrusted neckline as she attended Tom Ford’s Paris Fashion Week show alongside her boyfriend, filmmaker Jordan Hemingway, 33, whom she has been dating since spring 2023.
