Model who alleges Kanye West choked her tells she felt 'suffocated and scared'

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Model who alleges Kanye West choked her tells she felt 'suffocated and scared'2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSteven McIntoshGetty ImagesYe, formerly Kanye West, is known for hits such as Gold Digger, Heartless, Homecoming and All Falls DownWarning: This story contains details some may find distressingA model who alleges Kanye West choked her on a music video set has told the she was left feeling "suffocated, unsure and scared". Jennifer An, a former contestant on America's Next Top Model, is suing the rapper, now known as Ye, over an encounter she alleges took place in 2010. She told the 's Fame Under Fire podcast that West choked her and stuck his fingers in her mouth to simulate oral sex while filming a sequence for a music video in which he was making a cameo appearance.

Lawyers for the rapper do not deny the encounter took place, but have argued it was part of an "intense and provocative theatrical performance", as West was trying to emulate a scene from the film American Psycho. News has contacted his representatives for further comment. If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, help and support is available at Action Line.

The Details

West has become a contentious figure in recent years for his offensive and often antisemitic remarks and pro-Hitler music and merchandise. The rapper has since apologised for his antisemitism and said his erratic behaviour is partly due to previous diagnoses of autism and bipolar disorder. Jennifer An was cast in the La Roux music video a year after appearing on America's Next Top ModelAn was 24 when she was hired to appear in the US music video for La Roux's hit song In For The Kill.

The model said she did not know at that stage that the rapper would be on set. But when she turned up for the shoot at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, An alleges West arrived and took over the set, before assaulting her. At the time, An's career had received a boost after her appearance on America's Next Top Model in 2009, and she attended a casting call for the music video the following year.

Speaking to podcast presenter Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, An said the team were mid-shoot when the crew members suddenly stopped work and started "running around the Chelsea Hotel, they're like, 'Kanye's coming, Kanye's coming'. "Shortly after that, she said, the models "were lined up in the hallway" for West's arrival, before the rapper "came through and chose three girls to be in the scene with him", including An. After starting to film his section of the music video, An alleges West "couldn't remember his lines", shouted cut, and turned his attention to shooting a different scene.

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West then pulled one chair in front of the camera, An alleges, and positioned himself in a chair behind the camera, facing An but out of shot. "I didn't know what was gonna happen," she said. "I was given no direction.

I was just told to sit in this chair.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.