Coronation Street star William Roache has apologised for comments he made appearing to claim victims of sexual abuse brought it on themselves.
In a statement, Roache, who plays Ken Barlow on the soap, said he was “very sorry” for any offence caused by his statements, which have received widespread coverage in the UK.
“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.”
His apology came after an interview with TVNZ where he appeared to say those who suffered abuse were paying for transgressions in a former life.
“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,” he told Sunday.
When asked if he was saying victims brought it on themselves he said:
“Not quite, but then yes I am, because everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives.”
He said today he 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”.
