Ansel Elgort Breaks His Silence After Being Accused of Sexual Assault
Ansel Elgort has responded to a sexual assault allegation made against him earlier this week by a young woman named Gabby.
The 26-year-old actor released a statement via his Instagram account on Saturday (June 20), denying that he assaulted anyone.
"I was distressed to see the social media posts about me that have been circulating in the past 24 hours," the West Side Story star began.
"I cannot claim to understand Gabby's feelings but her description of events is simply not what happened," Elgort continued. "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."
However, he admitted that he "did not handle the breakup well." He explained that he stopped responding to her messages and added that his action was 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 wrote.
Elgort concluded his post by reiterating that his past actions were not acceptable: "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."
Since coming forward via Twitter on Friday (June 19), Gabby's social media account has been deleted.
See Elgort's post, below.