Reformed Pedophile Stephen Collins Credits Faith After Child Molestation Confession; 'Christ Says "Bring Me That Which About You Is Broken"'
Embattled actor Stephen Collins credited his faith for helping turn his life around in the wake of his recent child molestation confession.
The "7th heaven" star recently confessed to inappropriately touching and/or exposing himself to three underage girls between 1973 and 1994. In an exclusive interview with Yahoo global anchor Katie Couric, Collins opened up about the assaults and said that through faith he is now a reformed pedophile.
"In the church ... it's actually one of the main things about the Christian faith is Christ says in so many ways, 'Bring me that which about you is broken. Bring it.' And most people are broken in some way," an emotional Collins told Couric.
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The actor, who rose to stardom in the 1990s as the wholesome family man Reverend Eric Camden on "7th Heaven," made headlines in October when an explosive audio tape surfaced online. His estranged wife Faye Grant, who is embroiled in a bitter divorce with him, secretly taped his child molestation confession during a therapy session and two months later he admitted to wrongdoing in a statement released this week.
Collins, 67, recalled one of the assaults during his interview with Couric. He was 25 at the time and the girl was a pre-teen.
"Well, in 1973, there were two occasions where I exposed myself to this young woman," he said. "My wife had gone to sleep and she and I were watching TV alone together ... I moved her hand in such a way that caused her to touch me inappropriately. It lasted less than a minute, during which there was no gratification. I then left the room. It was a completely impulsive act and it's haunted me ever since to think of what I put her through."
The actor underwent extensive therapy and religious consultation which he says helped him control his deviant behavior. He now meditates and prays daily which keeps him centered.
"Since that day in 1994, I have not had an impulse to act out in any such way," he said referencing his last assault.
Collins has not directly apologized to all of his victims and he explained his decision in a recent statement.
"I did have an opportunity to do so with one of the women, 15 years later. I apologized and she was extraordinarily gracious," said Collins. "But after I learned in the course of my treatment that my being direct about such matters could actually make things worse for them by opening old wounds, I have not approached the other two women, one of whom is now in her 50s and the other in her 30s."
Since news of the molestations were made public, Collins has resigned from the National Board of the Screen Actors Guild and in addition was fired from the upcoming film, "Ted 2."
He was also abruptly removed from the The Committee for Stress-Free Schools' website, where he had previously been listed as a national co-director. The Committee for Stress-Free Schools is a part of global charity The David Lynch Foundation.
Collins' interview with Couric airs Friday, Dec. 19 on ABC's "20/20."
