A contestant on a US spinoff of The Bachelor who was alleged to have sexually assaulted a fellow cast member says the accusations brought against him have been "very difficult" to handle.
However the woman who says he acted without her consent has rebuffed an internal investigation that cleared DeMario Jackson of wrongdoing, and is continuing to bring legal action against him.
Jackson says his mother has cried every day since filming for Bachelor in Paradise was halted earlier this month, when Corinne Olympios claimed she was sexually assaulted by him in a pool.
The 24-year-old alleged she was too drunk to consent to sexual activity that occurred between her and Jackson after a day of drinking - an incident that was captured on camera and which Olympios said she had no memory of.
Warner Bros ceased production on the series, but after an internal investigation that found Olympios was not a victim, it has now returned - although Jackson has declined to be a part of it.
However he has now broken his silence on the matter, discussing the emotional turmoil of being accused of something so serious in an interview with E! News host Melanie Bromley.
"It was stressful for me, [but] mostly for my mother," Jackson said.
"It's hard to see your mum cry every single day. It was very difficult. My grandmother, my aunts [struggled too]."
"You know, my dad, he kept me extremely strong. He kept me grounded and humble - but having your mum cry every day [is hard] for something you know you didn't do."
The portion of the interview that was shared was an E! teaser for a full three-part interview that'll be released across two nights this week.
Olympios is not backing down from her claims and her lawyer Marty Singer has said they will now embark on bringing Jackson to justice.
"It needs to be made crystal clear that production of Bachelor in Paradise was shut down because of multiple complaints received from producers and crew members on the set. It was not shut down due to any complaint filed by Corinne against anyone," he said.
"It comes as no surprise that Warner Bros, as a result of its own internal investigation, would state that no wrongdoing had occurred. Our own investigation will continue based on multiple new witnesses coming forward revealing what they saw and heard."
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