Quick Facts About Diddy's Ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura: How They Met, Abusive Relationship and Where She Is Now

Cassie Ventura testified four times during the first week of ex-boyfriend Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial, which began on Monday, 12 May.

Combs was arrested in September 2023 and now faces charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and engaging in prostitution. He has denied all allegations.

Between 2007 and 2018, Ventura and Combs had an on-and-off relationship. In 2023, Ventura filed a federal lawsuit accusing Combs of rape and physical abuse.

Taking the witness stand last week, Ventura tearfully described years of alleged abuse and detailed the degrading 'freak-offs' she says she was pressured into.

'I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors, and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from abuse and fear,' Ventura said in a statement issued through her lawyer.

A Decade-Long Relationship: How Ventura Met Diddy

Ventura met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 39.

Now known mononymously as Cassie, Ventura (born Casandra Elizabeth Ventura) is a singer, actress, dancer, and model from New London, Connecticut.

By 2005, she had already established herself in modelling and had signed with music producer Ryan Leslie's NextSelection Lifestyle Group. Leslie wrote and produced her debut single, Me & U, which caught Combs' attention. He agreed to partner Leslie's label with his own, Bad Boy Records, and signed Ventura. Her debut album, featuring Me & U, was released in 2006.

Romance, Rumours and Red Flags

Romance rumours surfaced in 2007 as the pair were frequently spotted together. At the time, Combs was still publicly linked to the late Kim Porter, with whom he shared children.

Ventura and Combs officially confirmed their relationship in 2012, after sitting together at Kanye West's Paris Fashion Week show.

However, Ventura claims abuse began early in their relationship. In her 2023 lawsuit, she stated that tensions escalated when she began a romance with rapper Kid Cudi during a break from Combs. She alleges Combs was so enraged he threatened to blow up Cudi's car, which later exploded in his driveway.

In 2014, engagement rumours swirled after Combs posted a photo of a ring to Instagram, which Ventura was later seen wearing. The engagement was never confirmed.

A Violent Incident Caught on Tape

A key piece of evidence in Combs' ongoing trial is a 2016 security video showing him assaulting Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel. The footage, released by CNN in 2024, shows Combs throwing Ventura to the ground, then kicking and dragging her.

In last week's testimony, Ventura described the sex parties—referred to as 'freak-offs'—that she was pressured into. During these events, she says she was coerced into having sex with male escorts hired by Combs, often under the influence of drugs, while he watched.

She testified that the 'freak-offs' left her feeling 'disgusting' and 'humiliated', but she participated out of fear that Combs would harm her or release footage if she refused.

The Final Break and Rape Allegation

The couple's 11-year relationship came to an end in 2018 after Combs was seen publicly with model Jocelyn Chew.

Ventura has claimed, both in her lawsuit and in court, that after she tried to end the relationship, Combs forced his way into her Los Angeles home and raped her.

Despite the trauma, Ventura continued to build her career during their time together. She made her acting debut in Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), followed by roles in The Perfect Match (2016) and Empire (2018).

New Beginnings: Marriage, Motherhood and Peace

In 2019, a year after ending things with Combs, Ventura married Alex Fine, who had been Diddy's personal trainer. The couple reportedly met at the gym, where Ventura became Fine's client and confidant. She fell pregnant early in their relationship.

Ventura now has two daughters with Fine and is currently pregnant with their third child.

Fine has been outspoken in support of Ventura. When the hotel footage was released in 2024, he posted: 'Men who hit women aren't men. Men who enable it and protect those people aren't men.'

After Ventura completed her testimony, Fine also shared a personal statement: 'I have felt so many things sitting there. I have felt tremendous pride and overwhelming love for Cass. I have felt profound anger that she has been subjected to sitting in front of a person who tried to break her. You did not break her spirit nor her smile.'

Beyond her legal battle, Ventura has remained focused on her family and healing. Her most recent Instagram post, featuring her baby bump, is captioned simply:
'Mastering Peace ☮️.'