Actor Stephen Collins Confesses to Sexual Abuse with three Girls
Actor Stephen Collins, who is known for his fatherly role as Reverend Eric Camden in the hit TV show, "7th Heaven," has confessed to sexual contact with three girls in an essay published by People magazine.
"Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret," Collins said. "I have been working to atone for it ever since."
Collins, 67, added that over the past two decades, he has not had the "impulse to act out in such way" and has received therapy. He also stated that he has apologized to one of his three victims. According to the report, Collins molested and/or inappropriately exposed himself to three girls between 1973 and 1994.
He writes: "Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret. I have been working to atone for it ever since. I've decided to address these issues publicly because two months ago, various news organizations published a recording made by my then-wife, Faye Grant, during a confidential marriage therapy session in January, 2012. This session was recorded without the therapist's or my knowledge or consent. On the recording, I described events that took place 20, 32, and 40 years ago. The publication of the recording has resulted in assumptions and innuendos about what I did that go far beyond what actually occurred. As difficult as this is, I want people to know the truth."
Word on Collins' past actions first surfaced in October in an audio recording. In the recording, a man, who policed believed to be Collins, admitted to exposing himself and conducting inappropriate sexual behaviors with three underage girls.
Collins will have an in-depth interview with Yahoo Global News Anchor, Katie Couric. The interview will be streamed on Yahoo! and air on ABC's 20/20 this Friday. His full statement will be available in People on Friday.
