Two months after allegations surfaced that actor Stephen Collins, who played the pastor father on the family drama “7th Heaven,” allegedly confessed to exposing himself to young girls and having at least one instance of sexual contact with a minor, the star has broken his silence.
Collins, 67, has admitted to having "inappropriate sexual conduct with underage girls," according to People Magazine.
The actor issued a statement to the outlet, explaining that there were three victims between 1973 and 1994, though he said he has not done anything similar in the past two decades, according to the outlet.
This July 1, 2008 file photo shows actor Stephen Collins posing for a picture outside of the Shubert Theatre in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Collins addressed the explosive recording that he says his ex-wife Faye Grant secretly taped while he was in a confidential therapy session with her when they were still married back in January 2012.
"Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret. I have been working to atone for it ever since," he said. "On the recording, I described events that took place 20, 32, and 40 years ago."
The actor went on to claim that the publication of the audio has led to mistruths being spread, so he's breaking the silence so that people can "know the truth."
Collins said that he apologized to one of the women 15 years after the incident unfolded, but that he has not spoken to the others.
“The exposure happened a couple of times,” Collins said on the tape, speaking about a girl he said he exposed himself to starting when she was 11. “There was never any conversation around it. There was one instance … where for there was one moment of touching where … I put her hand on my penis.”
Read more about the audio and listen to it here.
The actor will speak with Katie Couric in a sit-down interview that will stream on Yahoo! and will be aired on ABC's "20/20" this Friday.
(H/T: People Magazine)
