Actor, writer and comedian Stephen Fry has issued an ‘unreserved’ apology for his recent remarks on sexual abuse.
Fry had been at the centre of controversy when he made the remarks on the US talk show The Rubin Report, wherein he said that people who had suffered sexual abuse should ‘grow up’ and that he has ‘no sympathy’ for the ‘self-pity’ of sex abuse victims.
Fry then faced a huge backlash on social media, with many commenting on the seeming hypocrisy of a man who deleted his Twitter account due to criticism pontificating to victims of abuse to get over something so traumatic.
Stephen Fry: people need to be thicker skinned. Victims of trauma need to get over it
Stephen Fry: quits twitter when ppl disagree with him— El (@langho) April 11, 2016
An apology by Fry was issued today through British website Mind.org.uk which read:
“It distresses me greatly to think that I have upset anyone in the course of the TV interview I had with David Rubin the other week.
I of course apologise unreservedly for hurting feelings the way I did . That was never my purpose. There are few experiences more terrible, traumatic and horrifying than rape and abuse and if I gave the impression that I belittled those crimes and the effects they have on their victims then I am so so sorry.
It seems I must have utterly failed to get across what I was actually trying to say and instead offended and upset people who didn’t deserve to be offended or upset.”
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