Businesswoman, entrepreneur and former nurse Norah Casey said that her experience of years of domestic abuse is what spurred her to become financially independent and 'stand on her own two feet'.

Looking back, she sees strength in her ability to leave her abusive partner who regularly beat her over several years, despite it being the most frightening experience of her life.

Ms Casey joined Women's Aid Chair Ailbhe Smyth and former Director of the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency Dawn Hennessey on Alive and Kicking to discuss her experience and the importance of awareness.

Stand Strong is a new campaign launched by Women's Aid aims to engage, educate and empower people to help end domestic abuse and raise funds for the charity to support women and children in need.

Lived experiences

Ms Casey has shared her story publicly in a documentary and in various interviews throughout the years and believes that, as a society, we need to listen to people's lived experiences.

"When I talked first, it was a really difficult thing to do. I was nine years with somebody who was very violent, very coercive, and I found it very difficult to forgive myself that I'd spent so much time with him", she said.

"You have to remember that in later life I'd find myself on panels with women who would very sternly say that they would walk straight out the door if a man lifted a hand to them.

"I always felt very belittled by that, that somehow I was weak and powerless."

"I was all day every day living with a man whose temper could flare at any moment."

She said that speaking about her experience on The Late Late Show last year helped her regain some power as she may be able to help another woman going through something similar.

Campaigns by Women's Aid showed her that what she used to deem weakness was actually strength.

"I was all day every day living with a man whose temper could flare at any moment", she said.

"I was living through nights after violent episodes.

"I got up every day, put my coat on, went into work, had no one to talk to, nobody to share that information with."

Courage to leave

Ms Casey said it took her two years to leave her partner, as he would hurt her and threaten to hurt himself.

"Still to this day, when I smile, half of my face goes down because he broke this side of my face on the left so badly, so even when I'm at my most happiest, I'm reminded of that incident.

"The courage to leave is everything for me."

She said she "will never forget" the morning she left.

"I packed a tiny bag", she said.

"You have to remember that towards the end, I'd no money, I'd nowhere to live.

"Somehow I'd all the debt and he had all the power, he was very wealth. I was living at his home. I had no plan. None, whatsoever."

'The most frightening experience of my life'

Ms Casey said that leaving her partner was "the most frightening experience of [her] life".

"I just woke up at 4am, I had a shower and I had a speech prepared - I still laugh about that - I wrote that speech for months.

"It was probably about 5:30am when I woke him up, and he said, 'what's going on, what are you doing?', and I said 'I'm leaving you'. He started to laugh and said, 'get back into bed, it's far too early'.

"I ploughed into my speech and I think I was into the second sentence when I could hear him gently snoring in the background.

"And I walked down the stairs, I had a tiny little red car and I remember driving away and feeling like I'd driven off a cliff."

'Real love'

Ms Casey later married another man, Richard, who has since passed, but she says he showed her "what real love was".

They had a son together and she went on to become a very successful businesswoman, owning many companies - something that is "highly unlikely for someone from a North Dublin area who went to a DEIS school".

She said that her experience changed her and gave her a new chapter, "and you find that that strength and resilience stays with you for the rest of your life".

Main image shows Norah Casey chairing a panel discussion on Women For Election in the European Commission. Picture by: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie