Supergirl star Melissa Benoist says she is sharing her experience surviving domestic violence in the hopes that it will give others the strength to escape similar circumstances.

The 31-year-old actor known for her role as Kara Danvers/Supergirl in the long-running TV series, on Wednesday posted an emotional account on Instagram of what she describes as months of domestic abuse.

I am a survivor of domestic violence, or IPV, intimate partner violence, which is something I never in my life expected I would say let alone be broadcasting into the ether, she stated at the beginning of the video, reading from a letter she had written.

In the heartbreaking 14-minute video, Benoist recounts meeting her attacker after she had just come out of another relationship, describing her new friend as being charming, funny, manipulative, devious.

After being friends for a time, the two started dating. Benoist said the relationship felt like a runaway freight train. The abuse first began as manifestations of his depression and insecurities, she said. This meant manipulation, snooping on her devices, jealousy over interactions with other men in friendships and at work, and even asking her to change outfits to avoid attention in public.

Work in general was a touchy subject, she said. He didnt want me ever kissing or even having flirtatious scenes with men, which was very hard for me to avoid, so I began turning down auditions, job offers, test deals and friendships, because I didnt want to hurt him.

None of that registered as abuse because I was worried about how he felt at that point, to even comprehend how it affected me, she said.

Five months after the relationship began, the violence began, Benoist said. She said the first time it happened, he threw a smoothie at her face.

Because of shame, fear of more attacks and reluctance to admit any of it was actually happening, Benoist said, she felt the need to keep it secret.