India Oxenberg was at home in Key West, Fla., one Saturday morning in July when she had the overwhelming urge to dance. She put on the song “Belly Dancer” by Imanbek & BYOR, blasted the driving beat and began twirling, swinging her hips and tossing her hair. And then she made her happy dance public on Instagram, a move that “made me sweat like crazy, but who cares? That’s the mindset I’m building,” she says. “I find myself having moments now where I let myself just enjoy being alive in this body. I feel free.”
Not long ago such unfettered joy would have been unthink able. In 2018 Oxenberg escaped the headline-making NXIVM cult, a group that subjected her to physical and mental abuse—including branding, forced sex and starvation—during the seven years she was in its clutches before her mother, actress Catherine Oxenberg, 62, helped free her, and the two assisted the FBI in bringing down the cult (see sidebar). But India carried the pain long afterward. “Getting out was only the beginning,” she says. “I had no f---ing clue what I was up against. These past five years have been heavy—and scary—but you can’t rush the healing.”
Now 32, India has built a new life in Key West with her husband of three years, chef Patrick D’Ignazio, 32, and has discovered a renewed confidence: “In NXIVM, so much energy was put toward self-hatred. My mind’s not consumed by that anymore, but it’s taken time to feel that I have value.”
This story is from the October 02, 2023 edition of People US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 02, 2023 edition of People US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Why I Dropped Everything for My Dad
WHEN THE POLICE ACADEMY STAR'S FATHER GOT SICK, HE TRAINED TO BE A DIALYSIS TECH SO HE COULD TREAT HIM AT HOME: 'HE WAS MY HERO'
A Late Legend's New Novel
When author and film director Michael Crichton died of cancer in 2008 at age 66, his pregnant widow, Sherri, just wanted to sit in his writing room, surrounded by the work that was so central to his life.
MY Life Now
THE FORMER INMATE AND VICTIM OF MUNCHAUSEN SYNDROME BY PROXY ENJOYS FREEDOM AND A NEW LOVE
A HOLLYWOOD STORY
THE TV AND SCREEN VETERAN DETAILS HIS FAMED FAMILY'S HISTORYAND TRAGEDY-IN A NEW MEMOIR
'Find What Fascinates You'
AFTER SCORING EVERY MAJOR ACTING PRIZE, THE LEGENDARY STAR ISN'T DONE RISING TO NEW CHALLENGES
MARLON WAYANS - Crying, Laughing Through Grief
AFTER THE DEVASTATING LOSS OF HIS PARENTS, THE COMEDIAN IS USING HUMOR TO LIGHTEN THE LOAD
The Latest in Brad & Angelina's Court Battle
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's ongoing legal battle over French winery Château Miraval continues to be a case of very sour grapes.
Sixteen Candles' Gedde Watanabe Looks Back
When director John Hughes cast Gedde Watanabe as foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong alongside Molly Ringwald (right) in Sixteen Candles 40 years ago, he had no idea the actor-who was born and raised in Utahwas faking his heavy accent.
Riley Keough's Latest Move to Protect Graceland
When Riley Keough stepped out on May 24 to fete her grandmother Priscilla Presley on her 79th birthday, she was also celebrating a legal victory.
'How Did She Disappear'
NPR host Tonya Mosley got a call and learned she had a sister—who was missing in Detroit. She and her nephew set out to get answers and found healing along the way