Filed under: Celebrity
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The actor Dennis Waterman has admitted that he slapped and punched his ex-wife Rula Lenska twice, but insists that she was not a "beaten wife".
The Mirror reports that the New Tricks star made the comments in a TV interview for Piers Morgan's Life Stories, which airs on ITV next month.
Actress Rula Lenska divorced Waterman in 1998, claiming that he was violent towards her, which he always denied.
But now he admits that he did in fact hit her, although he seems to indicate that he was provoked.
He said: "She certainly wasn't a beaten wife, she was hit and that's different."
He added: "It's not difficult for a woman to make a man hit her."
He continued: "We were going through a horrible time and arguing a lot.
"The problem with strong, intelligent women is that they can argue, well. And if there is a time where you can't get a word in... and I... I lashed out. I couldn't end the argument.
"Something must have brought it on. When frustration builds up and you can't think of a way out... It happened and I'm very, very ashamed of it."
He explained that he might have "drunk too much" and said, "I must have punched her one time 'cause she did have a black eye. Afterwards I felt utterly ashamed."
He said: "I've never done it before or since. But if a woman is a bit of a power freak and determined to put you down, and if you're not night enough to do it with words, it can happen. And it did happen in my case."
Waterman is now married to his fourth wife, Pam Flint and says he has "ended up with proper happiness."
However he admits that his attitude towards women is "quite Victorian".
He says: "It's been suggested that I'm chauvinistic but I don't think I am, I'm just... I think there is a place for women at home."
Sandra Horley CBE, chief executive of national domestic violence charity Refuge, told AOL Lifestyle: "I am appalled by Dennis Waterman's comments about his violence towards Rula Lenska, which trivialise the abuse he inflicted on her.
"It doesn't matter whether he hit her once, twice or a dozen times - no man is entitled to hit his wife and domestic violence is never acceptable. It is against the law.
"No one can make their partner hit them. However angry or frustrated Dennis felt, he could have chosen to deal with those feelings another way, but he chose to use violence. He alone is responsible for his violent behaviour.
"At Refuge we do not define domestic violence by the number of assaults, but by the effect they have on the victim. Domestic violence is about a man's desire to assert power and control over his partner, and using violence is an abuse of power. Once a woman has been hit, she lives with the permanent fear that it could happen again, and research shows that it almost always does: as a rule, domestic violence increases in severity and frequency over time."
Dennis Waterman's spokesperson was not available for comment.
If you're experiencing domestic violence go to
www.refuge.co.uk for support and information, or if you're worried about a family member visit
www.1in4women.com
What do you think about Dennis Waterman's comments? Let us know below...
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