Ever since the first news of Stephen Collins' child molestation case first came out over the last fall, the world has been shocked to hear allegations of sexual abuse by the actor who played the pastor dad on "7th Heaven" - and, now, Collins himself has confirmed these claims.
The claims of Stephen Collins child molestation had been kept quiet for a number of years, until the October release of a years-old tape where the actor confessed to having molested three underage girls over the course of over two decades.
After having kept quiet about the matter for two months, the new Stephen Collins child molestation confession comes from People Magazine, where the actor gave a public statement, the first he has made since the tape first came out to the public - a leak he blames estranged wife Faye Grant for, as they're both in the middle of a complicated divorce process.
The actor became famous in the long-running family show "7th Heaven," where he played pastor Eric Camden, in a series that had him surrounded with underage girls like Beverly Mitchell and a then-teenager Jessica Biel, who'd gone on to become one of the world's most famous movie stars.
The actor's wholesome image was precisely what made the Stephen Collins molestation case such a big shock to the world, in a manner similar to the Bill Cosby scandal that has seen newspaper headlines since a few weeks after the Collins tape first came out.
"Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret. I have been working to atone for it ever since," said Collins in his statement, according to Time Magazine. "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"
As he confessed to the Stephen Collins child molestation allegations, the actor went on to express that he hasn't had the "impulse" to act in such a manner in the last twenty years. The events he has confessed to happened between the years 1973 and 1994.
According to Business Insider, the actor is also set to speak to anchor Katie Couric about what happened in an interview that will be airing next Friday.