Stephen Collins Confesses to Child Molestation But Says 'I Have Not Had an Impulse' Since
Stephen Collins recently confessed to inappropriately touching and/or exposing himself to three underage girls in a statement obtained by People magazine.
The embattled "7th Heaven" actor made headlines in Oct. 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.
"Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret. I have been working to atone for it ever since," Collins wrote. "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 Jan. 2012. This session was recorded without the therapist's or my knowledge or consent."
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Collins, who rose to stardom in the 1990s as the wholesome family man Reverend Eric Camden on "7th Heaven," was investigated by authorities back in Oct., however, no charges were filed because the statute of limitations ran out on all three cases.
At one particular moment in the recording (obtained by TMZ.com), 67-year-old Collins recounted molesting an 11-year-old New York girl, who is a relative of his first wife Marjorie Weinman. In his statement, the actor confessed to molesting three victims from 1973 to 1994.
"On the recording, I described events that took place 20, 32, and 40 years ago," Collins said. "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."
Collins is eager to move forward with his life and said that since the assaults, "I have not had an impulse to act out in any such way."
He also explained his decision not to directly apologize to all of his victims.
"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.
