Ansel Elgort denies sexual assault allegations but apologises for 'unacceptable behaviour'

Actor Ansel Elgort has responded after allegations of sexual assault were made against him by a former fan.

He posted a message to his Instagram denying the accusation, saying "I cannot claim to understand" his alleged victim but "her description of events is simply not what happened."

On Friday a Twitter post by a former fan of Elgort alleged the actor had assaulted her in 2014, when she was 17.

She alleged that Elgort had started speaking to her on Snapchat over direct message and then, after they met in person, proceeded to coerce her into sex while she was "sobbing in pain", leaving her with PTSD and panic attacks.

“I disassociated myself and just felt like my mind was gone I was in shock" she wrote, "I couldn’t leave I was only 5’2 and 98 pounds. He made me think this is how sex was supposed to be.”

In an Instagram post, Elgort has insisted that their relationship had been "brief" but "legal" and "consensual", but admitted his behaviour after they broke up had been "immature and cruel."

The actor wrote in a post shared to his 10 million Instagram followers: “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. 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. I know this belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared.”

Elgort finished by saying he was "disgusted" looking back at his actions around their break-up but said he would continue to "reflect" and "learn."

“As I look back at my attitude, I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry. I know I must continue to reflect, learn and work to grow in empathy”