In September 2015 vlogger Matthew Santoro made a private video in which he opened his heart for the first time about his experience of being abused by his ex-girlfriend.

Two days ago, he accidentally made the video public before realising and quickly taking it down again. But the outpouring of support he received from people who watched the video after it initially went live, prompted him to re-upload it in the realisation that his story could help other men who had been in his situation.

To date the video has been watched more than 100,000 times, received nearly 35,000 likes and more than 13,000 comments.

His eloquent and painful words are inspiring, heart-wrenching, courageous and important in equal measure.

Thank you Matt.

You can see more of Matt’s videos on his YouTube channel here and follow him on Twitter @MatthewSantoro

If you are a male victim of domestic violence in Northern Ireland and the UK, are concerned about a man you know who may be in an abusive relationship, or would like to help support services for male domestic violence victims, please contact The ManKind Initiative here