Actor Stephen Collins, most famously known as the father on the family drama, 7^th Heaven, has been in the news a lot over the last few months but not for any reasons that he is proud of. The actor recently sent a statement to People Magazine where he admits to his missteps while also trying to clear the air about a few grisly details.

The actor’s troubles began when a tape of him discussing sexual interactions that occurred over twenty years ago with underage children was discussed during a confidential therapy session with his wife, Faye Grant, two years ago. The two of them are engaged in a bitter divorce that leaves some critics thinking that Grant released this tape in the hopes of making her look better during the divorce proceedings.

The conversation was taped without his knowledge as well as without the knowledge of the therapist. Such an invasion of privacy would most likely be frowned upon but once the tape was released on popular gossip site, TMZ, the damage had officially been done. Word began traveling fast as Collins began losing his current acting jobs, was dropped from several future jobs and stood by as syndicated episodes of his popular television show, 7^th Heaven, were ripped off of the air by the TV Guide Network.

The name, Stephen Collins, may not be the most well-known name in Hollywood but the actor has made quite a life for himself in show business. He has been acting since 1975, starring in television shows and movies as well as writing two novels, Double Exposure in 1998 and Eye Contact in 1994. He also has a discography consisting of three vocal recordings for his stage appearances.

Although Collins has starred in over twenty films, including The Three Stooges, Blood Diamond and Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Collins has made most of his bread and butter from television. He has played parts in TV shows ranging from The Office to Revolution but his most famous role is that of Eric Camden on the popular drama series, 7^th Heaven. That show was the longest running on the Warner Brothers network with eleven seasons under its belt.

But all that is a thing of the past and Collins is now in repair-overhaul mode, coming clean so that he can try and move ahead and, more importantly, help those who he has hurt to move ahead. He admits that his actions were terrible while giving his apologies to the women who he has hurt. He states that he had gone to one of the victims years ago but he felt that even though the woman was “extraordinarily gracious” for his confession, the apology opened old wounds. He has not personally apologized to the other women for that reason.

Although he only admitted these deeds in an essay to People Magazine, he will be discussing this matter in person when he talks with Katie Couric of Yahoo Global News for a more in-depth discussion. Check out the essay in the next issue of People, out on newsstands on Friday.