Domestic violence: Woman who was beaten and punched urges victims to come forward

“For women, Northern Ireland is one of the most dangerous places to live in Europe,” Chelsea told BBC NI News.

Between 2019 and 2024, 30 women and girls have been killed by men.

She has welcomed strategies to tackle the issue, including one launched last week by the Stormont Executive.

“People up top are seeing this is a big problem.

“It is starting to get a wee bit more noise around it which is amazing – if that even helps one woman, that is all you can ask for.”

During a relationship, which involved coercive control, a series of attacks saw her punched, kicked, head-butted and choked unconscious.

The man involved was training to be a professional mixed martial arts fighter.

The abuse during the three-year relationship started “small” and got increasingly more violent as it went on.

“There were punches, headbutts and kicks,” she told BBC News NI.

“He was an MMA fighter, so he knew were to kick and punch me were it hurt the most and showed the least,” she added.

Chelsea did not know when he met him that he had a criminal history.

The abuse was also emotional.

“He would ignore me, get nasty and chip away at my appearance, bring up things that happened to me in the past, saying that I deserved them,” she said.

“I felt worthless, he is what I deserved, because I didn’t deserve any better,” she added.