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| Actor William Roache 'sorry' over sex abuse comments | Actor William Roache 'sorry' over sex abuse comments |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Coronation Street star William Roache has apologised after he appeared to suggest sex abuse victims are paying the price for their behaviour in "previous lives". | Coronation Street star William Roache has apologised after he appeared to suggest sex abuse victims are paying the price for their behaviour in "previous lives". |
| Roache made the comments during an interview with New Zealand's TVNZ. | Roache made the comments during an interview with New Zealand's TVNZ. |
| "I would like to say that I am very sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments," he said in a statement. | "I would like to say that I am very sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments," he said in a statement. |
| The NSPCC said his original "bizarre comments" were "not helpful." | The NSPCC said his original "bizarre comments" were "not helpful." |
| During the interview, in which Roache discussed recent sex abuse scandals, Roache said: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you." | During the interview, in which Roache discussed recent sex abuse scandals, Roache said: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you." |
| Interviewer Garth Bray replied: "To some people that sounds perhaps like you're saying victims bring things on themselves - is that what you're saying?" | Interviewer Garth Bray replied: "To some people that sounds perhaps like you're saying victims bring things on themselves - is that what you're saying?" |
| Roache replied: "No, not quite.. and yet I am, because everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives or whatever." | Roache replied: "No, not quite.. and yet I am, because everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives or whatever." |
| In Tuesday's statement, Roache said: "I would never say that victims of sexual offences are in any way responsible for the abuse they have suffered and I offer my deepest apologies if anything I have said has been misunderstood in this way. | In Tuesday's statement, Roache said: "I would never say that victims of sexual offences are in any way responsible for the abuse they have suffered and I offer my deepest apologies if anything I have said has been misunderstood in this way. |
| 'Totally forgiving' | 'Totally forgiving' |
| "I had no intention of causing any kind of distress as a result of my interview and I offer my utmost sympathies to anyone affected by sexual offences and paedophilia. " | "I had no intention of causing any kind of distress as a result of my interview and I offer my utmost sympathies to anyone affected by sexual offences and paedophilia. " |
| An ITV spokesman said: "These were personal comments that Bill made for which he has apologised." | |
| Dr Jon Bird, operations manager of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, and a victim of abuse himself, told the BBC: "We're disgusted on behalf of survivors (of abuse)," adding that Roache's comments were "very ignorant" and "inappropriate". | Dr Jon Bird, operations manager of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, and a victim of abuse himself, told the BBC: "We're disgusted on behalf of survivors (of abuse)," adding that Roache's comments were "very ignorant" and "inappropriate". |
| He said he was "deeply offended on a personal level". | He said he was "deeply offended on a personal level". |
| In the interview, Roache also talked about people who are accused of abuse, saying: "If someone has done something wrong, the law should take its course... whether they're proven guilty or not, we should not be judgmental about anybody, ever. | In the interview, Roache also talked about people who are accused of abuse, saying: "If someone has done something wrong, the law should take its course... whether they're proven guilty or not, we should not be judgmental about anybody, ever. |
| "We should all be totally forgiving about everything." | "We should all be totally forgiving about everything." |
| Jon Brown, head of the NSPCC's sexual abuse programme, said: "We should be concentrating on helping the thousands of children sexually abused every year who need therapy to re-build their lives. They will have already suffered horrendous experiences and will find what Mr Roache is saying to be hurtful and demeaning." | Jon Brown, head of the NSPCC's sexual abuse programme, said: "We should be concentrating on helping the thousands of children sexually abused every year who need therapy to re-build their lives. They will have already suffered horrendous experiences and will find what Mr Roache is saying to be hurtful and demeaning." |
| Roache, 80, is the only original actor still on Coronation Street, having appeared in the first episode in December 1960. | Roache, 80, is the only original actor still on Coronation Street, having appeared in the first episode in December 1960. |