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Melissa Schuman Forgives Nick Carter for Alleged Rape: ‘I Wish You Only the Best’

Melissa Schuman said on The Dr. Oz Show that she forgives Nick Carter. Her interview, which airs on Friday, December 1, comes one week after the former pop star accused the Backstreet Boys singer of raping her 15 years ago.

Related: Hollywood’s Sexual Misconduct Scandals

Nick Carter
Nick Carter attends the premiere of Gravitas Ventures’ ‘Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of’ in Hollywood on January 29, 2015. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

“I forgive you. I don’t want anything from you,” the former Dream member, 33, said, speaking directly to the 37-year-old. “I wish you only the best. I don’t want your money. I didn’t do this to hurt you or your family. I did this for me because I needed this healing, and I also came forward because I want to inspire other victims, other people who have been assaulted, to come forward and know that they have a voice.”

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Schuman broke down in tears during the interview when she opened up about why she didn’t report the alleged rape. “I had actually confided in my manager at that time about pressing charges, and I was told that [Carter] had the most powerful litigator in the country and that I didn’t have the money to pay for an attorney to essentially defend me if he were to come after me,” she explained.

The ’90s star first accused Carter of rape in a detailed blog post shared on November 19. She claimed the “I Want It That Way” singer, then 22, performed oral sex on her, despite her refusals, in a bathroom at his apartment in Santa Monica. He then allegedly forced her to do the same to him before taking her into his bedroom and raping her. She was 18 at the time.

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The boy bander vehemently denied the claims in a statement to Us Weekly on November 22. “I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual,” he said. “We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally. This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.”

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