FKA Twigs has said the abuse she allegedly endured from Shia LaBeouf was "the worst thing in the whole of my life" and that "recovering has been the hardest thing I've ever tried to do".

The British singer, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles in December alleging that the Hollywood star was a danger to women.

In the court documents, the 33-year-old alleged that LaBeouf once slammed her into a car, tried to strangle her and knowingly gave her an unspecified sexually transmitted disease.

LaBeouf has denied "each and every allegation" made by his former partner.

On Valentine’s Day in 2019, Barnett said LeBeouf drove wildly and threatened to crash his car if she did not profess eternal love for him, the lawsuit claimed.

When she tried to get out of the car and get away from him at a petrol station, he slammed her against the car, tried to strangle her and forced her to get back in, she alleged.

Speaking to Elle magazine Barnett said: "I was thinking to myself, 'I wonder what would happen to my body … if (we) smashed into a wall at 80 miles per hour?'

"I was looking for the airbag and I couldn't see the airbag sign, so I was thinking – 'If he doesn't have an airbag, will this car crush my sternum?'"

Asked how she survived the relationship, Barnett told the magazine: "I think it's luck.

"I honestly wish I could say that I found some strength and I saw this light.

"I wish I could say, '(It is) a testament to my strong character', or 'It's the way my mother raised me'.

"It's none of that. It's pure luck that I'm not in that situation anymore."

She added: "People wouldn't think that it would happen to a woman like me.

"The biggest misconception is – 'Well, you're smart. If it was that bad, why didn't you leave?'

"It can happen to anyone."

She said when lockdown began she realised how many women were potentially stuck inside with their abusers, adding: "It made me realise I need to come forward and talk about my experience.

"What I went through with my abuser is hands down, the worst thing (I've experienced) in the whole of my life. Recovering has been the hardest thing I've ever tried to do."

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