Ryan Seacrest says it was "gut-wrenching" having his workplace conduct questioned after a woman accused him of sexual misconduct in the workplace.
A stylist had alleged that Ryan had acted inappropriately with her when they worked together 10 or so years ago – something which has now been dismissed as the claims were found to be unsubstantiated – but Ryan admits the accusations took their toll on him.
He wrote: "I do not take things for granted. Every day I am living my childhood dream because of the efforts of so many other people. I do my best to show and express my gratitude to my co-hosts, producers, guests, audiences, executives, partners and fans for the privilege of their collaboration and participation, and for the unwavering support of my loved ones and team …
"To have my workplace conduct questioned was gut-wrenching. I’ve always aimed to treat all of my colleagues with honesty, respect, kindness and compassion. Yet, I knew, regardless of the confidence I had that there was no merit to the allegations, my name would likely soon appear on the lists of those suspected of despicable words and deeds. The pressures of our overflowing newsfeeds would insist on it."
And the 43-year-old television personality promises he will be "part of the change and the progress" that is filtering through Hollywood.
Writing in his guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, he added: "I absolutely want to be part of the change, the progress, that is coming. I did not want to be a postscript of evidence of its cause. After sharing the letter with the network, I publicly denied the claims against me, and agreed to participate in any inquiry the network deemed appropriate. On Feb. 1, I received notice that an independent third party found the claims to be unsubstantiated and that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on my part."
Ryan Seacrest shares impact of sexual misconduct claims
