Ansel Elgort says he has “never and would never assault anyone”. (Photo: ansel/Instagram)
Actor Ansel Elgort on Sunday denied sexual assault allegations against him. In a now deleted message, a woman had claimed that Elgort sexually assaulted her when she was 17. She claimed she had direct-messaged the actor on Twitter and then interacted with him on Snapchat.
She had also shared a photo of herself (face hidden by her hand) with who appeared to be Elgort.
The Fault in our Stars actor did not deny he had had a relationship with the said woman but said that he has “never and would never assault anyone”. The actor added that when the relationship ended, he did not handle the breakup well.
Elgort wrote, “I was distressed to see the social media posts about me that have been circulating in the past 24 hours. I cannot claim to understand her feelings but her description of events is simply not what happened. I have never and would never assault anyone. What is true is that in New York in 2014, when I was 20, she and I had a brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship. Unfortunately, I did not handle the breakup well. I stopped responding to her, which is an immature and cruel thing to do to someone. I know this belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared.”
He added, “As I look back at my attitude, I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry. I know I must continue to reflect, learn, and work to grow in empathy.”