The under-fire actor has vehemently denied forcing himself on two women, Zoe, 40, and Lily, 31, after they spoke to The Hollywood Reporter for a bombshell article this week.The alleged victims – who do not know each other – said the recent promotion of HBO Max’s Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That stirred painful memories of the alleged incidents, which they claim occurred in Los Angeles in 2004 and New York in 2015, respectively. Chris met his Canadian wife Tara Wilson in 2001 while she was working as a bartender at The Cutting Room, an establishment he owns in New York. They married in 2012.He insists that both encounters with the other women were consensual.A long-time friend of the star said his close pals are standing by him, but Tara, 42, has been left reeling after finding out he was unfaithful.The pair share two children, Orion, 13, and 18-month-old Keats.The friend exclusively told The Sun: “He may be non-monogamous, we have established that his wife didn’t know.“If anything, he is guilty of that. She is in LA and is very upset … she’s not doing well. They planned to spend Christmas together but that is now unknown.”The source went on: “There are two sides to every story and people need to know this before they judge.“The Chris I’ve met is not the Chris that’s being described by these women.“All his friends are sticking by him. He is a flirt, but not a sleaze. He’s no Weinstein. I believe him and I believe it didn’t go down the way it’s allegedly portrayed.”The Sun has reached out to Chris’s reps for comment.The star is “not under investigation at this point” for the sexual assault claims against him, police have revealed.He responded to the story in a statement saying: “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false.“These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual.“It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women,” the actor added.A source later revealed to The Sun that Chris was “completely baffled and blindsided” by the allegations depicted in the report.“Chris only knew the story was coming out a few days ago,” they said.“He is completely baffled and blindsided. He’s absolutely appalled by these allegations, and very confused as to why they are surfacing now, so close to the reboot.‘Blindsided’“There have been numerous opportunities when the movies came out, so he cannot get his head around the situation.”The Sun also understands his close friends are “closing ranks” to protect the star and are “very concerned for him” as he is yet to be seen in public since the shocking claims.Chris reprised his role of John James “Mr Big” Preston, the love interest of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), in the latest Sex and the City sequel which has received mixed reviews.He was killed off during the dramatic premiere after suffering a heart attack following an intense workout on a Peloton electric bike in emotional scenes which shocked longtime fans.Peloton has removed an ad that went viral earlier this week starring Chris, 67, following the accusations of rape.The commercial was a spoof of his death scene in the SATC reboot which included a voiceover by Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds.In 2004, alleged victim Zoe was 22 when she moved to Los Angeles and got a job as an assistant for a high-profile firm where Chris regularly did business.She told the Hollywood Reporter the actor flirted with her and started leaving messages on her home phone even though she had not given him her number.Chris eventually invited her to the pool at his West Hollywood apartment building where Zoe’s friend also lived, and let her borrow a book.But upon returning the book later, Zoe claims he kissed her before pulling off her clothes and forcing himself on her.“It was very painful and I yelled out, ‘Stop!’ And he didn’t. I said, ‘Can you at least get a condom?’ and he laughed at me,” Zoe said.“I realised there was blood on my shirt. I got out of there,” Zoe said when it was over.“I went to my friend’s apartment [in the same building]. I walked right in and went to the bathroom and tried to get the blood out of my shirt. They wanted to know what happened. I said, ‘I just want to go home’.”Shocking claimsShe said when she finally told her friend what happened, she insisted they go to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre where she was given a rape kit and crisis counselling. But she never reported the incident to the police.It was years later in a New York VIP lounge when Lily said she encountered Chris for the first time in 2015.She was 25 and claims when he asked her out, she was thrilled to be invited to dinner with the heart-throb who has shot to fame in SATC.Lily said they met at Il Cantorini and had a few drinks before Chris invited her to his apartment.“I thought, ‘We’re going to drink whiskey and talk about his acting career’. It sounds so stupid,” she said.Lily said he started kissing her, and she regrets not firmly telling him “no” and leaving the apartment.She said she “cautiously entertained the kiss” but she claims he kept pressuring her, “And then the next thing I knew, [Chris] pulled down his pants and he was standing in front of me.”Lily says she brought up that he was married and a father. “He said marriage is a sham. Monogamy is not real.”And the next thing she knew, she said: “He was having sex with me from the back in a chair. We were in front of a mirror. I was kind of crying as it happened.“I went to the bathroom and put on my skirt. I was feeling awful. Totally violated. All of my dreams with this star I loved for years were gone.”This article originally appeared in The Sun and has been reproduced with permission
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