Drake Bell gets support from those who backed Brian Peck
Drake Bell has received apologies from stars who publicly supported Brian Peck in the wake of his arrest.
Drake Bell has received apologies from stars who publicly supported Brian Peck.
The dialect coach was arrested in 2003 on 11 charges relating to child sexual abuse and before he was sentenced the following year, dozens of actors including the likes of Alan Thicke, James Marsden, Will Friedle and Rider Strong wrote letters of support.
However, since Drake revealed on last year's docuseries 'Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV' that he was he was the unnamed abuse victim, some of Peck's supporters have admitted to him that they feel "ashamed" of giving him their backing.
He told People magazine he had been told: "I was completely lied to and bamboozled by this person, and it was a totally different story that was told to me. I would've never written that letter. I'm so ashamed."
He added: “It's nice to hear those kinds of things."
The 38-year-old singer-and-actor admitted he has been through a "rollercoaster" of emotions since speaking out but he's relieved to have done so.
He said: “It's been a really nice weight lifted. It's a roller coaster of emotions. I don't want to sugarcoat it and make the message, ‘Hey, all you got to do is just tell somebody and get your story out and when you wake up the next day, it's going to be gone and everything's going to be fine and you're going to walk through life without any pain or sorrow or sadness!’
"It's always going to be there, but it's a lot nicer getting support.”
The 'I Kind of Relate' singer - who has a three-year-old son with ex-wife Janet Von Schmeling - has found therapy helpful in healing from his ordeal.
He said: "Hearing other people's stories in group therapy and thinking to yourself, ‘Oh, wow, that was a really heavy story. That's what you've experienced in your life, maybe I feel a little comfortable to share my story and then maybe I can empathise with others.’
"Because when you go through something like this, one of the main things is you're alone. But then you hear these other stories and you're like, ‘I'm not the only one.”
And Drake is also grateful for his faith.
He said: “Having a higher power, knowing that you're not alone in this universe, you don't have to do it on your own, there's always somebody looking out for you plays a big part in it."
