His side of the story. Nearly one year after Melissa Benoist claimed that she was in an abusive relationship at one point, her ex-husband, Blake Jenner, spoke out about the allegations, confirming that she was referring to their marriage.

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“I take full responsibility and accountability for the hurt that I inflicted during my relationship with my past partner—emotionally, mentally and yes, physically,” the actor, 28, wrote in a lengthy statement shared via Instagram on Thursday, October 8.

After detailing an incident in which he threw a phone at the 32-year-old Supergirl star’s face, Jenner accused Benoist of being abusive too. “It is important to understand that there was mental, emotional and physical abuse inflicted from both ends,” he claimed. “As a result, my former partner and I began to see a therapist together, but despite numerous attempts to work our issues out, we would find ourselves stuck in this toxic cycle that our relationship became.”

The Edge of Seventeen actor blamed his own behavior on “this false sense of masculinity that I felt the need to uphold” and alleged that the Glee alums shared a “brokenness that stemmed from our childhoods.”

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Jenner, who referred to himself as a “victim,” then claimed that “the mental and emotional abuse” he allegedly suffered began “at the start of our relationship” and included threats about job opportunities and his female costars. “I was scratched. I was slapped,” he wrote. “I was punched in the face, which caused a trip to the hospital to treat my broken nose. I, too, have had to conceal and make up lies about many visible injuries I had incurred throughout the relationship.”

The What/If alum alleged that he has “worked on my personal issues” since his 2016 split from Benoist and insisted that he does not want to “drag her down in any way.”

Jenner then expressed remorse toward the Waco alum. “I am sorry,” he continued. “There are many things that I wish I could have done differently; and while I wish it did not take the pain that was suffered throughout the course of our relationship, I will never regress to making the same mistakes ever again. I will never stop doing the work necessary to better myself in all areas of my life. I wish you and your family nothing but good health, joy and love.”

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The exes tied the knot in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2017. She moved on with her Supergirl costar Chris Wood, whom she married in September 2019. The couple announced the birth of son Huxley last month.

Benoist opened up about her past experience with domestic violence in November 2019, though she never named Jenner as her abuser. “The stark truth is, I learned what it felt like to be pinned down and slapped repeatedly, punched so hard the wind was knocked out of me, dragged by my hair across pavement, head butted, pinched until my skin broke, shoved into a wall so hard the drywall broke, choked,” she alleged in an Instagram video at the time.

The actress admitted to reacting in the moment. “I experienced firsthand that violence begets violence,” she said. “I started fighting back because rage is contagious.”

Benoist concluded that “breaking the cycle was the most rewarding, empowering choice I’ve ever made for myself” while noting that she “will be healing from this for the rest of my life.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Benoist’s rep for comment.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. 

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