Cassie Ventura testifies to Diddy’s alleged abuse and the pain behind her red carpet smile

Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs looked like the perfect couple on the red carpet. But behind the smiles, the badly bruised singer was in pain after a horrific attack. Warning: Graphic

Dressed in a glittering gold and black gown as she walked the red carpet at her film premiere, Cassie Ventura looked every bit the glamorous actress, singer and model that she was.

Beside her beaming in a three-piece suit was her proud and supportive boyfriend - the rapper turned music mogul Sean Diddy Combs.

It was 2016 and to the outside world, they looked like the ultimate power couple - but all was not as it seemed.

Nobody noticed the subtle bruise on Cassie’s upper left arm, nor the black eye she had covered in layers of makeup.

Sean Combs with Cassie Ventura at a premiere, just days after his horrific hotel room attack, which was caught on tape. Picture: AFP

And when she slipped into a green mini dress for the after-party, nobody paid attention to the bruise on her left shin as she leaned into Combs to smile for photos.

Those injuries were souvenirs of one of the worst nights of her life.

Cassie Ventura was bruised and traumatised in this image taken days after the hotel attack, but put on a brave face. Picture: Getty Images

Ms Ventura took a deep breath as she told the Manhattan federal court that she received those bruises days earlier when attempting to escape an LA motel room where Combs was forcing her to have sex with a male escort while he watched – one of the “hundreds” of sex parties he dubbed “freak offs” that she says she took part in during their decade-long relationship

Cassie Ventura with Sean Combs and rapper French Montana in an image taken after the horrific hotel attack. Picture: Getty Images

Members of Sean "Diddy" Combs' family arrive during Combs' trial at Manhattan Federal Court. Picture: AFP

Horrifying video footage of Ms Ventura fleeing the room and being pursued by a furious Combs, dressed only in a towel, was played on repeat at his sex trafficking trial on Wednesday.

In it, he is seen stalking toward Ms Ventura who holds out her arm and backs away. He grabs her, throws her to the ground and kicks her repeatedly before dragging her back to the room.

Pictures displayed in court showed the remains of the broken vase Combs threw at Ventura during the sickening attack, which was caught on tape. Picture: US Attorneys

In another photo shown to the jury, Ms Ventura poses in a black gown as she walks the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.

Hundreds of cameras flash as they capture photos of the starlet.

But again, behind the glamorous dress and beaming smile she was hiding a secret.

Cassie Ventura dazzled at the Cannes Film Festival, but behind the scenes she was being subjected to extreme mental and physical abuse.

Hours earlier, Combs had kicked her off of the boat they were staying on in a rage after falsely accusing her of taking his drugs.

Stranded in a foreign country without her passport, clothes or any belongings, she walked the streets barefoot to find the hotel where Combs’ staff were staying before later getting ready to front the blinding lights of the cameras.

Newly released photographs showing the shocking aftermath of Sean Combs’ attack on Ms Ventura during the infamous 2016 hotel beating were shown on day three. Picture: US Attorney

Ms Ventura told the court that once inside the premiere of the Brad Pitt film Killing Them Softly, Combs shot her “evil glares” across the room filled with movie industry A-listers.

And in the darkened theatre as the movie played, he sat next to her, squeezing her thigh as hard as he could, digging the beads on the dress of her skirt deep into her skin as she tried not to squeal in pain, determined to keep the horrible secrets of the man she loved so much.

Originally published as Cassie Ventura testifies to Diddy’s alleged abuse and the pain behind her red carpet smile