Veteran BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall vowed to fight sex offence allegations and "regain my honour", saying he had been through a living nightmare since the charges were brought.
Speaking outside Preston Magistrates' Court, the 83-year-old former It's A Knockout presenter said: "The last two months have been a living nightmare. I have never gone through so much stress in my life."
He thanked his family for their support and said that without it he might have considered taking his own life. He also questioned why the allegations had taken so long to surface. And he said he would like to survive another couple of years to "regain my honour, reputation and my life".
Hall was charged last month with one count of rape allegedly committed in 1976 against a 22-year-old woman and 14 claims of indecent assault against 10 girls aged nine to 16, between 1967 and 1986.
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