Marilyn Manson’s Ex-Wife Dita Von Teese Breaks Her Silence on Evan Rachel Wood Abuse Allegations

Dita Von Teese has broken her silence on the allegations of sexual and emotional abuse against ex-husband Marilyn Manson. The burlesque artist dated Manson for several years before marrying him in 2005 and divorcing him in 2006. Von Teese shared a statement to Instagram Wednesday after Evan Rachel Wood alleged Monday that the person who sexually assaulted her more than a decade ago was Manson.

Von Teese wrote that while the “details made public do not match my personal experience” with Manson over seven years, she encouraged “those of you who have incurred abuse to take steps to heal.” She added that she has been “processing” Monday’s news over the past two days, and appreciated the kindness of people who have expressed concerns about her well-being. Von Teese added that she left Manson due to “infidelity and drug abuse,” before adding that “abuse of any kind has no place in any relationship.” She concluded that this would be her “sole statement on this matter,” thanking people for respecting her wishes.

Wood came forward Monday to name the man she previously described as being assaulted and abused while testifying in front of the California Senate in the process of passing the Pheonix Act to protect victims of intimate partner abuse. While Manson had been theorized as the alleged perpetrator, as the Westworld actress was with her ex-fiancé at the time of her abuse, this week was the first time she came forward publicly with a name. In an Instagram post Monday, the activist said that Manson “started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years,” and that she was “brainwashed and manipulated into submission.”

Later that day, Manson addressed the accusations in a statement. “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality,” he said of Wood’s claims. “My intimate relationship have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.” Following the allegations, Manson was reportedly dropped from his talent agency and record label.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.