Ed Westwick has spoken out about the sexual assault accusations that have been levelled against him, after a second woman came forward to accuse him of rape.
Earlier this week, two different women shared their experiences of the ‘Gossip Girl’ actor, each alleging that he forced himself on them in 2014, which he has vehemently denied.
Following the news that the LAPD had launched an investigation, he has now addressed the claims in a statement on his Twitter account.
He wrote: “It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and probably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could conclude that I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct.
“I have absolutely not, and I am cooperating with the authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible.”
The first woman to come forward against Ed Westwick was actress Kristina Cohen, who alleged that he raped her following a gathering at his house in a lengthy post on her Facebook page.
In her initial Facebook post, the actress described making a trip to his house for a dinner party with her then-boyfriend, but grew uncomfortable and wanted to leave when the actor allegedly crossed a line with an inappropriate joke.
She wrote: “I went and laid down in the guest room where I eventually fell asleep, I was woken up abruptly by Ed on top of me, his fingers entering my body. I told him to stop, but he was strong.
“I fought him off as hard as I could but he grabbed my face in his hands, shaking me, telling me he wanted to fuck me.
“I was paralysed, terrified. I couldn’t speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me.”
In his rebuttal, Westwick tweeted: “I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.”
A second woman later posted a similar account on Facebook, claiming Westwick raped her at his home after she fell asleep, thanking Kristina Cohen in her statement for “speaking up so eloquently and really encompassing what young female actresses have to go through at the hands of men like Ed Westwick”.