Marcus Mumford, following his extremely successful career as the frontman of the band Mumford & Sons, has recently released his debut solo single ‘Cannibal.’ The single touches upon his experience of childhood sexual abuse and how this has affected him throughout his life.
In anticipation of the release of his new album, Marcus was interviewed by GQ and shared that he suffered the abuse as a 6 year old. He described keeping the abuse to himself for 30 years before ‘hitting rock bottom’ in 2018, which prompted him to see a therapist.
During the interview, Marcus recalls his second session with a trauma specialist therapist, within which he was physically sick. He explained that this response to disclosure is ‘very common’ and that ‘once you basically unhook the denial and start the process of removing some suppression, then it is very natural for that stuff to come out.’
He states that he spent his life in ‘layers of shame. And it probably started there when I was six, but I just got kind of addicted to shame, layers and layers of shame, which is why I feel now like I’ve done lots of figuring that out.’
‘And some of the areas in which I was trying to make that shame go away just led to more shame for me. And now being able to pick those apart a little bit and, like, chip away at the layers of it is why I feel kind of free, more free than I have in a long time.’
Marcus, whose parents were international leaders of evangelical Christian denomination the Vineyard Churches, stressed that the abuse was not carried out by family members or members of the church.
On the 10th August, Marcus shared a link to the interview via his twitter account. He was met with huge support from followers.
One fan wrote, ‘a really, really moving conversation’, ‘there’s this beautiful realisation in discovering that, just as fear is cleansed by tenderness, grace wipes out shame.’
Another stated, ‘this is such a powerful and insightful interview. Thank you for opening up and sharing yourself with others so that they might get something from it as well.’
Not only have fans responded positively to the interview, charities such as the NSPCC have praised Marcus for sharing his experiences. A spokesperson from the charity wrote ‘speaking out about child sexual abuse is a truly brave thing to do and Marcus Mumford has shown a great deal of courage in sharing his experiences publicly.’
‘By doing this, he highlights an important message that it is never too late to speak about the abuse regardless of how long ago it took place. Moving forward, we hope that he receives the support that he needs and that others who have had similar experiences will feel less alone and empowered to speak out and seek help and support.’
The way that Marcus speaks about therapy and how it has helped him to be ‘free’ is another message to survivors of abuse that whilst daunting, disclosing past experiences and seeking support can be life changing.
At Farleys, the abuse and inquests team work tirelessly to help abuse survivors get the compensation that they need to be able to access help and support.
If you are a survivor of abuse, whether this was at the hands of a family member, foster carer, or in a religious, educational or sporting institution, you may be entitled to seek compensation. You can discuss your potential claim in confidence with a member of our team on 0330 134 6430. Alternatively, you can complete our online form or use the chat function below.
