Stephen Collins "Deeply" Regrets Sexually Abusing Three Underage Girls From 1973 to 1994

"I deeply regret the mistakes I've made and any pain I have caused these three women," the 7th Heaven actor says

By Zach Johnson Dec 17, 2014 1:00 PMTags
Stephen CollinsFrederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Stephen Collins has admitted to inappropriate sexual conduct with underage girls.

In a thousand-word statement, Collins tells People magazine that his behavior is "inexcusable," claiming that he has not done anything since his last incident, when he exposed himself to a teenage girl in 1994. Collins says there were three victims from 1973 to 1994, but he has "not had an impulse to act out in any such way" in the last 20 years. "I deeply regret the mistakes I've made and any pain I have caused these three women,'' the actor writes. "I admit to, apologize for and take responsibility for what I did.''

"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," the 7th Heaven star writes. "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," he continues, "I want people to know the truth."

Per Collins, 67, he twice exposed himself to a pre-teen girl in 1973, when he was 25 years old. He says he had another inappropriate encounter with the same girl in his home. "When the girl and I were watching TV alone, I moved her hand in such a way that caused her to touch me inappropriately," Collins writes. "It was a completely impulsive act, and it's haunted me ever since to think of what I put her through."

Collins claims he exposed himself to teenage girls in 1982 and 1994.

He also says that he has been in therapy for 20 years.

According to the actor, he never acted inappropriately during his years playing Reverend Eric Camden. "I appeared for eleven seasons on a television series [7th Heaven] with a cast that included minor females in our TV family, and countless other young actresses throughout the show's 11 years," Collins writes in People "I never behaved inappropriately on or off that set—or on any set I've ever worked on."

Collins "agonized" over whether to individually apologize to the women he violated.

"I did have an opportunity to do so with one of the women, 15 years later. I apologized and she was extraordinarily gracious," the actor writes. "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."

Collins, who remains in a protracted divorce battle with Grant, allegedly admitted to his inappropriate sexual conduct with underage girls in an audiotape released by TMZ in October. Grant later confirmed that she did indeed give the audiotape to police, but she claimed that she did not leak it to the media.

The alleged victims have not come forward.

No criminal charges have been brought against Collins.

Collins, who lost roles in Scandal and Ted 2 after the audiotape was released, will sit down with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric to discuss his revelation. The interview will stream on Yahoo! and air Friday on 20/20 on ABC.

The actor's full statement appears in People, on newsstands Friday.