Coronation Street’s William Roache has made an official apology for some pretty abrasive comments he made recently. During an interview with New Zealand’s TVNZ, he made some admittedly vague statements about victims of abuse, which nevertheless managed to ruffle some feathers. While discussing the recent slew of sex abuse scandals, Roache had this to say: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you."

After the interviewer noted that that statement sounded an awful lot like victim blaming, Roache attempted to clarify, effectively making matters worse: "No, not quite.. and yet I am, because everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives or whatever."

Naturally, that wasn’t the answer everyone expected to hear. After considerable backlash however, Roache issued an official apology on Tuesday, or rather, an almost apology: "I would never say that victims of sexual offences are in any way responsible for the abuse they have suffered and I offer my deepest apologies if anything I have said has been misunderstood in this way.

William Roache, Night of Heroes
William Roache In A Snappy Tuxedo

"I had no intention of causing any kind of distress as a result of my interview and I offer my utmost sympathies to anyone affected by sexual offences and paedophilia." Sounds like your standard “I’m sorry you heard me wrong” retraction, but hey, at least it’s something.