Cassie Ventura, the government’s lead witness in her ex Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ federal trial, was seen in New York City while pregnant with her third child on Wednesday, May 7. Diddy’s trial is set to begin with opening statements on May 12.

The 38-year-old “Me & U” singer, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, stepped out in a light grey sheer sweatshirt and white linen pants, while holding her cell phone outside on the stoop of a brownstone apartment at her friend’s home.

Ventura has been married to Alex Fine for six years and is now expecting their third child. She first teased their relationship in December 2018, two months after she confirmed her breakup with Diddy. The pair married the following August and welcomed their first daughter, Frankie, in December 2019 and their second daughter, Sunny, in March 2021.

Ventura — identified in court documents as Victim 1 — is preparing to take the stand while pregnant and testify by name about what she allegedly endured during her on-and-off relationship with Diddy from 2007 to 2018. Diddy is facing federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. 

Last year, she broke her silence to express her gratitude for the “outpouring” of support she received in the wake of a bombshell hotel surveillance video showing Diddy physically attacking her on March 5, 2016, reminding people to “open your heart to believing victims the first time.”

She addressed the video in May 2024, nearly a week after CNN published the disturbing footage that showed a towel-clad and barefoot Diddy chasing after her down a hallway at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. Diddy is seen throwing Ventura to the ground, violently kicking and stomping her before attempting to drag her back to the hotel room as she appears to cry out. Moments later, Diddy sits in a chair, grabs an object from a table and forcefully throws it toward her.

He is then seen walking away and turning toward Ventura again when an elevator door opens and someone appears to exit. The video shows Diddy grabbing, shoving and kicking Ventura during an altercation that matched allegations she made in a now-settled lawsuit filed in November 2023. Ventura noted in her complaint that video of the alleged attack existed and that she believed Diddy had paid someone at the hotel $50,000 for the footage. 

“Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet,” Ventura wrote on Instagram. “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”

“My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time,” she continued. “It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in. I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone. This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me.”

Although Diddy initially denied Ventura’s allegations of assault and slammed her lawsuit and its claims as “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies,” Diddy released an apology video addressing the physical abuse once the video went public. He said he was at “rock bottom” and called his behavior “inexcusable.”

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“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” Diddy said on May 19, 2024. “Disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to be a better man. Each and every day.”

“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdo,r said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE in 2024.

The hotel incident is one of numerous instances in which Ventura claimed that Diddy was physically abusive to her during their 10-year relationship, which began when she was an emerging singer signed to Diddy’s label Bad Boy Records. Their relationship ended in September 2018, shortly after Ventura alleged Diddy raped her inside her home. Diddy has denied all allegations of sexual abuse.

Prosecutors paint a darker portrait of the music impresario who became as well-known for his rap career as for his A-list parties and many brands, from Ciroc to Sean John. Authorities depict him as the ringleader of a violent enterprise tied to suspected kidnapping, arson, drug crimes and widespread sexual abuse. According to the indictment, Diddy and his associates are accused of luring victims with promises of romance, then using force, threats and coercion to compel them into sex acts at so-called “freak off” parties.

Eight months after being arrested in the lobby of a five-star Manhattan hotel, the man now known as inmate 37452-054 is going on trial in the Southern District of New York courtroom on racketeering, sex trafficking and other charges on accusations he abused numerous people throughout his lifetime. Jury selection began on May 5, and the proceedings are expected to last eight weeks.

Whatever unfolds inside the Manhattan courtroom, attorney and former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani — who is not involved in the case — believes the odds are stacked against him. “I expect him to be convicted,” he says, “and spend decades in prison.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

Who’s that girl?

Hilary Duff was called out after being spotted visiting Chloe Boutique in Los Angeles with an apparently new look Wednesday.

The “How I Met Your Father” star’s visibly prominent cheekbones during the outing prompted several fans to speculate online that the actress had gotten “Madonna-esque cheek filler.”

Photos obtained by Page Six showed Duff wearing minimal makeup along with a short-sleeved Gucci top paired with brown pants and boots.

She accessorized with a brown purse which featured a blue teddy bear key charm. For jewelry, she sported a pair of gold earrings and a matching watch.

Reps for the actress did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

It didn’t take long before fans reacted to the former Disney star’s new look online, expressing their disapproval over her facial features.

“Sis, noooo!! She is such a naturally beautiful woman. I’m sad to see this,” one Reddit user wrote.

Meanwhile, another said: “I actually love the elf queen look. Slay, girl. Cut them to pieces with those glorious faux cheekbones.”

“Listen I know that no one wants to look older than they used to, but I can guarantee you that she looked better before she got this ridiculous filler,” a third cautioned. “You don’t look younger, you look like you paid half price at a sketchy clinic.”

The sighting comes nearly a month after Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, came to her defense with a brutal three-word response after she faced Botox criticism from an internet troll on Instagram.

“Why did she do Botox, I swear to god everyone else is the same,” the person commented on Duff’s Instagram carousel of close-up beauty shots.

“Get fckd [sic] butterfly,” Koma clapped back, referring to the netizen’s username.

Duff, 37, has long been criticized for her appearance since becoming a star as a teenager.

She previously indirectly addressed her potential Botox use in a May 2022 interview with Women’s Health while speaking about the pressure on women to maintain their appearance.

“We bust our ass to get our bodies in shape and to look the best we can. We get facials and Botox and our hair done and highlights and brows and lash lifts and all this s–t,” she said.

“But I want to work on the inside. That’s the most important part of the system.”

Duff and Koma, 37, tied the knot in 2019 and share three daughters: Banks, 6, Mae, 4, and Townes, 11 months. She also shares son Luca, 13, with her ex-husband, Mike Comrie.

Ree Drummond is looking back on her health journey and taking time to refocus.

In her latest blog post, the Pioneer Woman star, 56, reflected on the four years since her 2021 blog post detailing what she does and doesn’t do to lose weight. That plan led to a 55-lb. weight loss within a year. 

However, Drummond revealed that she gained weight after her past success and she has now restarted her health plan.

“Boy has it been an adventure since then! I am, after all, a woman and a human person, and as such, I’ve had natural fluctuations since this original post was written — but much more so in the past year-plus,” she wrote. “Bottom line, starting at the end of 2023 I stopped exercising and kinda stopped paying attention to what I was eating.” 

“Around February of this year, I decided to jump back the plan I’d found success with in 2021, just not quite as high a gear as the first time,” she shared. “Long story short, I have found that it all still holds true, and FOR ME, it is working again like clockwork or science or whatever the word is. The very hardest part was the first week to ten days. Today it’s not that hard at all, and in fact, it’s actually rewarding as I’m feeling better and better all the time.”

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The Food Network star then explained what she’s going to do differently this time around.

“The game changer for me is two-fold: First, I’m building muscle again, which is crucial. I do lunges, squats, deadlifts, and floor exercises with ankle weights,” she said. “Second, I’m eating more protein and keeping it a higher percentage of my calories.”

Drummond added that she won’t be weighing her food or counting calories. She admitted that after doing that for about five months in 2021, it gave her more awareness about portion sizes and calorie intake.

Additionally, she’s not giving up alcohol entirely this time. She said she doesn’t mind having a little bit of wine topped off with Topo Chico sparkling water, comparing it to a wine spritzer. 

“I still LOVE the Happy Scale app. During the year I was gaining weight, I didn’t use it very often,” she continued. “I’m using it again and forget how helpful it is! I can’t emphasize enough (just to repeat) how important it is to build muscle. And how important protein is as a part of that goal.” 

“In February, the scale was pretty stubborn until I bit the bullet and started doing all the leg/butt exercises. Within a week, it kicked in,” she boasted. “Thank you all for letting me share!!”