'I'll never get that bit back': Singer Becky Hill says she was sexually assaulted at age 21
Becky Hill has opened up about being sexually assaulted by a male friend when she was 21, and not telling anyone at the time because she feared she wouldn’t be believed.
Now 30, the Bewdley-born singer-songwriter has channelled her experience into her new single True Colours. She collaborated with musician Self Esteem (Rebecca Taylor) on the track, which she described as "healing".
In an interview on Glamour UK, Hill said: "I've always classed myself as a strong b***h. I like to think I can take a lot of s**t, but with that, it felt like something had left me that will never come back. I'll never get that bit back, for me. That moment will stay with me for the rest of my life."
After eight years of feeling the incident was "eating away" at her, she finally reported her assault. She explained: "With rape and sexual assault, the numbers on reporting are so low that I wanted to be able to sit with my future children and if, God forbid, the same happens to them, say, 'you know what? When I was your age, I went to the police and reported it, and it was really powerful for me.'"
Following the assault, she attempted to "push it under the carpet" but experienced flashbacks. She shared that she was "terrified of men" until she met her fiancé, Chris Gardner, to whom she got engaged in January 2022.
Hill believes that consent education should be taught in schools from an early age.
"It was something I was never taught about, nor any of the other people in my age group, and I feel like I was let down by the education system because of that."
She hopes that by being honest about her experience, the conversation will "stay open." She added: "I’m hoping that things will begin to change a bit, and people will be able to talk about this stuff more openly without a degree of shame on themselves, and with the onus back on the perpetrators."
Becky Hill first gained recognition as a contestant on The Voice UK in 2012, where she finished in fifth place. She quickly became a featured artist on songs by well-known producers like Sigala and MK. Her second album, "Believe Me Now?" is set for release on May 31, and she has won the Best Dance Act Brit Award twice.
