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Actor Drake Bell has denied allegations of abuse made against him by his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Lingafelt.
In a video posted to social media on Wednesday (August 12), Lingafelt, whose TikTok alias is Jimi Ono, accused Bell of verbally and physically abusing her.
“First, I would like to start out with saying I don’t really care if anyone believes me as this is my story and my life and something I went through,” she said in the video, below.
“It wasn’t until recently that I actually realised that abuse is something that all women have to go through. When I started dating Drake, I was 16. I was home-schooled, I moved in with him, I was singing. It wasn’t until about a year when the verbal abuse started. And when I say verbal abuse, imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine, and that was what I got.
“It then turned into physical â hitting, throwing, everything. At the pinnacle of it, he drug me down the stairs of our house in Los Feliz. My face hit every step on the way down. I have photos of this.”
@jimiono This is my truth. I hope this message reaches young girls, and that no one has to go through what I did. #2020survivor
In a statement made to Variety in response, Bell denied the claims, writing: “I never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video. As our relationship ended â more than a decade ago â we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it.
“Clearly, Melissa still felt close enough to me just last year that she was comfortable reaching out to ask me to provide her with financial support during a tough time (which I did).”
The statement continued: “I do not know if todayâs behaviour is some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention. But I cannot and will not allow these offensive and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options.”
Bell is most famous for his appearances on Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show.
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