<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Back in August 2019, Alex Fine posted a video of his wife Cassie Ventura, holding and comforting him after he ran 50 miles to raise money for his domestic violence charity.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Just the person I needed with me the whole time," Fine wrote in the caption of his post.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Wow I am so lucky to be able to hug her after this. She makes me better in every way."</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fine is now showing his support for his wife, as Ventura, who is weeks from delivering their third child, testifies against the man she says made her life torturous, her former boyfriend and producer Sean "Diddy" Combs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fine, who married Ventura the same month he posted the video, was in the courtroom Tuesday. He was seen staring at Combs before Ventura took the stand to testify about her past relationship with Combs and their "Freak Offs," which she said included her having sex with male escorts while Combs watched for his pleasure.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Combs has blown air kisses and gestured to his family supporters in court this week. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Combs and Ventura each appear to be leaning into the support of their respective families as the public hears graphic testimony about their time together, which included a 2016 surveillance video that shows Ventura being physically assaulted by her then-boyfriend, Combs.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/sean-diddy-combs-sex-trafficking-trial-families-in-court/f54ff97c-0fc7-4ceb-bcbe-bd3fc9878905" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>'Men who hit women aren't men'</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fine was </span><a href="https://people.com/who-is-alex-fine-cassie-husband-8404987" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title=""><span>reportedly</span></a><span> first hired as a personal trainer for Combs before landing Ventura as his client as well.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ventura, now 38, first met Combs, now 55, when she was a 19-year-old singer. Their long-term relationship played out, off and on, between 2007 and 2018.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She </span><a href="https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/cassie-ventura-alex-fine-inside-their-backyard-malibu-wedding" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title=""><span>told Vogue in 2019</span></a><span> that she and Fine had met at a gym and didn't date long before they discovered they were pregnant with their first child.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We decided to plan a wedding for this past summer after debating between getting married before or after the baby came," she said at the time.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fine has often shared his admiration for his wife on social media and was there for her after she filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, which was quickly settled without Combs admitting wrongdoing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In it, Ventura alleged that during their relationship Combs controlled all aspects of her personal life, forced her to engage in sex acts with other men and "introduced" her to a lifestyle of "excessive alcohol and substance abuse."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When she tried to end things with Combs in 2018, she alleged that he forced his way into her home and raped her.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Combs has denied her allegations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to her complaint at the time, Ventura still suffered from "immense emotional distress" and at one point she checked into an inpatient rehabilitation centre after having suicidal thoughts she linked to abuse.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her husband has a personal connection to domestic violence beyond Ventura.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a March 2020 post on his </span><a href="https://www.almostho.me/blogs/inspiration/50-mile-run" rel="" target="_blank" title="Almost Home"><span>Almost Home</span></a><span> site, Fine wrote, "When I got the news that my mom had been the victim of domestic abuse and violence, I really didn't know how to handle it."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fine said his "anger" over the abuse is mother endured deeply affected him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I didn't want to give in to those paralyzing feelings," he wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"So, I decided to channel my anger and feelings of helplessness by running fifty miles to bring awareness and hopefully raise some money for other victims of domestic violence."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That was the race of which he shared footage of Ventura with him after he finished.</span></div></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5), 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px auto;max-width:440px;padding:0;width:99.375%"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/B1z59EvAl11/?hl=en"></a></blockquote></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After CNN first published 2016 surveillance footage of Combs assaulting Ventura at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, Fine shared a letter he wrote about domestic violence on social media.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Men who hit women aren't men," Fine wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Men who enable it and protect those people aren't men. As men violence against women shouldn't be inevitable, check your brothers, your friends and your family."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also offered support to those who have been abused, writing, "We want you to succeed and to flourish."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"To all the women and children, I'm sorry you live in a world where you're not protected, and you don't feel equal," he wrote. "I want to raise my daughters in a world where they are safe and loved."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fine had a warning for men who commit domestic violence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"To the abusers, you're done, you're not safe anymore, you're not protected anymore, the men by your side are just as weak," Fine wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He may be called as a witness in Combs' trial. There was debate raised by the defence team as to whether Fine should be allowed to be present during his wife's testimony, which began on Tuesday, but the judge allowed him to attend.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Prior to Ventura's testimony, Combs' defence team made a request to have Ventura, who is more than eight months pregnant, seated at the witness stand before the jury entered the courtroom.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There is a quality to her walking in front of the jury that I think is easily avoidable," Combs' attorney, Marc Agnifilo, requested in court on Monday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judge Arun Subramanian ultimately denied the request.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A representative for Combs declined to comment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Hearts from the Combs family</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Combs' mother, Janice Combs, and his six adult children have shown up to the courthouse, "united" in their support for the embattled music industry vet, a source close to the Combs' family told CNN this week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Everyone is upbeat. Everyone is holding faith," the individual added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The mogul has been vocal in the past about his love of family.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In 2022, Combs appeared on his then-girlfriend Caresha "Yung Miami" Brownlee's series </span><em><span>Caresha Please</span></em><span> and talked about being a single dad in the wake of the 2018 death of Kim Porter, mother of three of his children.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Fatherhood has been really, really real," he said at the time. "'Cause I was like a part-time father, you know what I'm talking about?"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All that changed when Porter died in 2018, following a bout of pneumonia at the age of 47. Combs stepped up to be more involved in the care of their twin daughters and son.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Combs children are:</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>• Quincy Brown, 33: Brown is the son of Porter and singer Al B. Sure, but was raised by Combs. The actor who starred in the Fox musical drama </span><em><span>Star</span></em><span> has stepped up to assist Combs raising Brown's twin sisters, who are two of Combs' four daughters.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>• Justin Dior Combs, 31: The eldest of the children, Justin was born to Combs and his former girlfriend, fashion stylist Misa Hylton. The younger Combs played football for UCLA and was often featured in dance videos with his father and younger brother, Christian.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>• Christian "King" Combs, 27: Diddy's look-alike son followed his father into the music industry as a rapper. He was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit last year. His father is not accused of sexual assault in the lawsuit but is included on allegations of liability and aiding and abetting. Aaron Dyer, an attorney for the father and son, said in a statement to CNN at the time that they believe the lawsuit contains "manufactured lies and irrelevant facts." Porter is Christian's mother.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>• Chance Combs, 18: The eldest daughter of Combs, she was born to the mogul and Atlanta-based businesswoman Sarah Chapman in July 2009. Chance Combs was her father's date for the 2022 Academy Awards and shared that she was an aspiring actress. "Zendaya is one of my biggest inspirations and someone that I really want to work with in the future," the teen told Laverne Cox on the red carpet as her father proudly looked on.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>• D'Lila and Jessie Combs, 18: The twins were born to Porter and Combs a few months after Chance was born. Porter's discovery of Chapman's pregnancy contributed to the end of her longtime on-again, off-again relationship with Combs, she told Essence magazine shortly after they split. "I left because at this point in my life I want something different for myself," she said at the time. "I invested ten years, I have children, and I've always stood by him. But now it's time for me and what I want to do for Kim."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>• Love Sean Combs, 2: The youngest of Combs's brood was born to cybersecurity expert Dana Tran. Her father had earlier restyled himself as "Love" and since their daughter's birth, Tran has shared plenty of content featuring the little one on her Instagram account. The toddler has not been seen in court this week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In October, the elder children released a joint statement to rally around their father.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We stand united, supporting you every step of the way. We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His daughters briefly left the courtroom on Monday, during testimony from a man who said he was paid to have sex with Ventura as Combs watched and masturbated. They returned but left again when the graphic testimony continued. One of Combs' son's placed his arm around his paternal grandmother during some of the testimony.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A prom is scheduled on Saturday for the Los Angeles-area private school attended by his twin daughters, who were not in court on Wednesday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Tuesday, one of his daughters made a heart shape with her hands as she faced her father. Combs retuned the gesture before catching the eye of his mother to whom he blew a kiss. His mother then blew a kiss back to him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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