During another incident, she alleges that her partner threw an iPhone at her face, breaking her nose and irreparably rupturing her vision, which, she says, became a turning point. While she lied to police and nurses about how she got the injuries, she later mustered up the courage to confide in a friend, and “the more people I let in, the more I was bolstered”. She broke off the relationship soon after.

She adds: “Something inside of me broke, this was too far, I couldn’t flush this one down.”

The actor says her story is not “salacious news” but “was my reality”, adding, “what I went through caused a tectonic shift on my outlook on life.”

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women and one in four men have experienced some kind of violence from their partners; one in seven women and one in 25 men have been injured by their partners.

“I want the statistics to change and I hope by telling my story might prevent more stories like mine from happening,” Benoist says. “If you are enduring what I went through and you see this, you might be able to find the tiny straw that will break the camel’s back.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence or know someone who is, help is available. Contact the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 for advice and support, or visit the Women’s Aid or Refuge websites.

Image: Getty

Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist reveals she is a “survivor of domestic violence”