A friend on the set told the Mirror: “Michael has gone through hell this last week, but he says he has had enough of hiding. He has done nothing wrong, and all his friends are backing him one hundred per cent, so he’s holding his head up high and trying his best to live a normal life while he fights this malicious allegation. Nobody has any doubts about Michael’s innocence. He is well liked and trusted by everybody, these allegations will do absolutely nothing to dent his reputation.”
He has received support from several co-stars, including on-screen wife Sally Dynevor, 48, who said on television last week: “I have known Michael 25 years, and I am right behind him.”