Ansel Elgort denies sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2014: 'I have never and would never assault anyone'
Actor Ansel Elgort took to social media late to deny allegations that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in 2014.
In an Instagram post, the Baby Driver star, 26, responded to a series of tweets posted on Friday by user @Itsgabby, who alleges Elgort sexually assaulted her. Her Twitter account has since been deleted.
“I was distressed to see the social media posts about me that have been circulating in the past 24 hours. I cannot claim to understand Gabby’s feelings but her description of events is simply not what happened. I have never and would never assault anyone,” wrote Elgort.
The actor then went into further detail of their time together, claiming that he simply stopped responding to “Gabby” after their “brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship.”
“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. Unfortunately, I did not handle the breakup well. I stopped responding to her, which is an immature and cruel thing to do to someone,” wrote Elgort.
Calling it a “belated apology,” Elgort continued his post by saying he regrets his attitude toward the breakup at the time.
“I know this belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared. As I look back at my attitude, I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted,” he wrote. “I am truly sorry. I know I must continue to reflect, learn and work to grow in empathy.”
The young woman, whose last name was not revealed, said her relationship with Elgort began when she direct messaged the actor to tell him that it would soon be her 17th birthday.
“I didn’t think he’d ever see my DM,” she wrote, according to The Wrap. “I was just a kid and was a fan of him.”
She said he responded by providing his private Snapchat account and requesting nude pictures, The Wrap reported. She also posted a photo of herself with Elgort, as well as a screenshot of their direct messages in which he gave her his private Snapchat details.
Y’all reported her account trying to erase the facts but okay here you go:
Gabby’s story about Ansel Elgort pic.twitter.com/TKctlNSShk— WHERE IS YOUR ScoOTer?! (@khen_sa_ni) June 20, 2020
She then went into further detail of the alleged sexual assault.
“When it 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,’” she wrote in the message, which has since been deleted. “I disassociated myself and just felt like my mind was gone I was in shock.”
Claiming she “didn’t tell anyone because he said it could ‘ruin his career,’” the young woman said she now chose to come forward “so I can finally heal.”
“I sat there for months wondering what I did wrong. Wondering why I felt so used,” she wrote. “Years later, I have PTSD, I have panic attacks, I go to therapy.”
Elgort is the star of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming adaptation of West Side Story.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
