After Chris Hardwick denied his ex-girlfriend’s emotional abuse and sexual assault allegations, Chloe Dykstra returned to social media with a message of her own.
Rather than respond to the 46-year-old actor and talk show host’s denial of her allegations, Dykstra thanked fans.
“Thank you all so, so much. The outpouring of support and love I’ve received over the past few days has been incredible and unexpected,” she said in a Twitter post. “The people who have come forward with both stories validating mine, and stories of their own personal experience, have helped me immensely with my own healing process. After years of therapy and rebuilding your support has done so much for me than all of it combined.”
Dykstra said she was thinking of those who were still stuck in abusive relationships when she decided to share her own story.
“It is my hope, and it always was, that women and men on both sides of abuse will make changes to either protect themselves or to stop the cycle of pain their own behavior can cause,” she explained.
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. pic.twitter.com/giXmp2wb9V
— Chloe Dykstra (@skydart) June 20, 2018
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The 29-year-old added, “My heart goes out to those caught in the fallout.”
Dykstra said she was now looking forward.
“Having been able to lift from my shoulder that which was weighing me down, I’m ready to move forwards in my life, finally instead of looking back with fear and sadness,” she said.
Dykstra wrote about her painful experience with sexual assault in an emotional first-person essay for Medium on Friday. She did not name her attacker but wrote that he is 20 years older than her and sober, leading fans to identify Hardwick.
In it, Dykstra accused her ex-boyfriend of sexually assaulting her “regularly” as well as setting “rules” for her, such as not speaking in public, not having close male friends and not drinking.
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Hardwick, who married heiress Lydia Hearst in 2016, said in a statement last Saturday, “I was heartbroken to read Chloe’s post. Our three-year relationship was not perfect — we were ultimately not a good match and argued — even shouted at each other — but I loved her and did my best to uplift and support her as a partner and companion in any way and at no time did I sexually assault her.”
“I’m devastated to read that she is now accusing me of conduct that did not occur,” he added. “I was blindsided by her post and always wanted the best for her. As a husband, a son, and future father, I do not condone any kind of mistreatment of women.”
AMC has pulled his show Talking with Chris Hardwick, and he’s been fired from moderating two panels at San Diego’s Comic-Con in July.