"I've hit rock bottom." P Diddy reacts for the first time to a video of him beating his ex-girlfriend

Rapper P Diddy has responded for the first time to a video that has gone viral online in which he beats his girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel. The video was filmed back in 2016, but has now been published by CNN.

In a video that the rapper posted on social media, he said he regretted his behavior and added that these were “dark times.” "It's hard to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you have to do it. I screwed up, I hit rock bottom. But I'm not making excuses for myself, my behavior in this video is unacceptable. I take responsibility for my actions," he said .

"When I did it, I was disgusted, and I'm just as disgusted now. I sought professional help, started going to therapy and rehab. I asked for mercy and grace from God. I'm very sorry, but I try to get better every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I'm truly sorry."

Cassie filed a lawsuit against the rapper last year, which ended in a settlement. In it, she spoke about this incident, as well as other incidents of violence on his part during the romance, which began in 2005 (Cassie was then 19 years old, and Sean Combs was 37). For example, according to Cassie, Combs drugged her and forced her to have sex with other men, filming it on camera.

According to Cassie, on the evening the video was taken, Combs "got very drunk and hit her in the face, giving her a black eye." She wanted to leave, but the rapper followed her into the corridor and beat her. The girl later called a taxi, but then returned because she believed that "Combs would be even more angry with her." However, hotel staff urged her to return home, hinting that they had seen surveillance footage.

The singer also said that Diddy paid the hotel $50,000 for the removal of this recording.