French movie star Gerard Depardieu admitted in court on Tuesday to grabbing by the hips a woman who accuses him of sexual assault, but denied this was assault and said any crude comments he may have made were just because of his bad mood.
A towering figure of French cinema, Depardieu, now aged 76, has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and this is the first case for which he is standing trial.
"I grabbed her hips," Depardieu said, admitting to physical contact with set decorator Amelie K. for the first time and saying he had not told police about it when being interrogated by police.
But he added: "I grabbed her hip so as not to slip because I was so upset by her, by the heat, it was a Friday towards the end of shooting, I was very tired."