Who is Cassie Ventura, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend who accuses the rapper of physically assaulting her?
Cassie Ventura was set to become the next female music superstar in the mid-2000s but under the tutelage of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs that never materialized.
Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura burst onto the music scene in 2006 with her debut single ‘Me & U’, which shot up the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at No. 3 that year. It was the lead single on her album ‘Cassie’ released by Atlantic and Bad Boy Records.
The latter, run by music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, had signed Ventura to a 10-album deal, and her boss, who was credited with developing the careers of several other artists, was intent on making the then-19-year-old the next female music superstar. However, Combs soon also become her sentimental partner in a relationship that would descend into one of control and abuse according to a lawsuit filed by Ventura last year.
Who is Cassie Ventura, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend who accuses the rapper of physically assaulting her?
Ventura is a native of New London, Connecticut where she got her start in modeling and began training in the performing arts before moving to the Big Apple in 2004 fresh out of high school. There she met singer and producer Ryan Leslie and the two began to work together. He wrote and produced her first single ‘Me & U’. After hearing the single in a club, Combs agreed to release her debut album and signed her to his label Bad Boys.
While the single and the album were a hit, Ventura’s promotional performances on shows like MTV’s “Total Request Live” and BET’s “106 & Park” were described as “rocky” and “less-than-stellar.” She recognized that her performances had not been “pretty bad” but it was put down to nerves and inexperience by both her and Combs.
Still her boss kept up promoting her and working on new material. She released a series of singles featuring Lil Wayne ‘Official Girl’, Diddy ‘Must Be Love’ and Akon ‘Let’s Get Crazy’. She also dipped her toes into acting at this time. In 2008 she appeared in ‘Step Up 2: The Streets’ and sang the lead single.
However, her relationship with the rapper-producer garnered more popular attention than her music. The off-and-on relationship lasted from 2007 to 2018. Ventura’s lawsuit, that she filed against him in November, claimed that Combs was physically abusive with her, forced her to take drugs and have sex with male prostitutes.
He denied all the accusations but settled the lawsuit the day after it was filed. That complaint triggered more accusations leading to an investigation and authorities raiding the music moguls properties.
According to her lawsuit, Combs beat Ventura on at least two occasions in 2009 and 2015 after he saw her speaking to music managers at parties. On Friday, CNN released video of Combs violently attacking Ventura on 5 March 2016 in the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. She also accused him of pushing his way into her home and raping her in 2018 when she was ending the relationship with Combs.
Cassie is now married to Alex Fine, a wellness instructor. The two tied the knot in 2019 after announcing that they were expecting a child together. They currently have two daughters, the second born in 2021.