Ansel Elgort Speaks Out About Sexual Assault Allegation
West Side Story star Ansel Elgort has denied a recent sexual assault allegation in an Instagram post.
Last week, a woman named Gabby accused him of the assault, which she claims happened in 2014 when she was only 17.
Gabby claimed in a Twitter post that after the two met through social media, the actor took her virginity — and though she was “sobbing in pain” during the experience he did not ask if she wanted to stop.
Ansel confirmed the two had sex but insisted that their relationship was “legal and entirely consensual.”
“I cannot claim to understand Gabby’s feelings but her description of events is simply not what happened,” he wrote. “I have never and would never assault anyone. What is true is that in New York in 2014, when I was 20, Gabby and I had a brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship.”
He went on to say that Gabby’s feelings are a result of a messy split.
“Unfortunately, I did not handle the breakup well,” he continued. “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. As I look back on my attitude, I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry.”
He also expressed the need for him to “reflect” and “grow in empathy.”
Gabby has since deleted her Twitter account after posting the message.
In the post, she had written that “when [the sexual encounter] happened, instead of asking me if I wanted to stop having sex knowing it was my first time and I was sobbing in pain and I didn’t want to do it, the only words that came out of his mouth were ‘we need to break you in.’”
“I WASN’T there in that moment mentally,” she added.
Wow. This is pretty startling but we hope they can both find peace.