Sarah Harding was ‘left black and blue’ in hospital after explosive fight with boyfriend after rehab stay
SARAH Harding has told how she was "left black and blue" as she looks back at a fight with her ex-lover Theo De Vries.
The 39-year-old singer, who has advanced breast cancer, has reflected on some of the most painful moments of her life in her tell-all autobiography Hear Me Out.
"The fight that left me black and blue with a suspected arm fracture was well-documented in the press," she writes in her new book.
At the time, Sarah showed her battered body to The Sun —and gave her account of a brutal hotel fight with her boyfriend on New Year's Eve 2011.
Meanwhile, Theo told the Mirror it was Sarah who had attacked him after she dumped him.
Now Sarah has recalled how Theo held her by the throat during their bitter bust-up in Innsbruck, Austria.
And how she was left "dazed, bloody and bruised" after their post-Christmas skiing holiday.
Sarah and Theo fell madly in love with each other after meeting in rehab in South Africa.
The Dutchman recovering from addiction stole her heart — and Sarah tells how she "mistakenly thought" their bond made in rehab would survive in the outside world.
As their romance soured, Sarah cut their holiday short and dumped Theo but her flight home was cancelled and so she was forced to return to their hotel room.
"The scene that followed was monumental," she writes.
"While I struggled, Theo had me by the neck, on the floor, so I kicked him to get him off me.
"After that, it escalated into a full-scale fight.
"It was horrible. My head smashed on the floor, my arm shut in the bathroom door, and blood smeared my face.
"I screamed for help, but with the sound of celebratory New Year’s Eve fireworks going off everywhere, nobody heard me.
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a . from 10am to noon.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
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"It culminated in me being forced outside and down the stairs."
Sarah was discovered by a kind Swedish couple who took pity on her and she was rushed to hospital by police.
Sarah Harding's book Hear Me Out is .