Bill Cosby's wife Camille breaks silence on rape allegations: 'My husband is the victim'

Camille Cosby has broken her silence after the raft of sexual assault allegations made against her husband Bill, insisting that "he is the man you thought you knew".

In a statement to CBS Evening News, the comic's devoted wife claimed that he was the victim of media misrepresentation, and compared his public shaming to Rolling Stone's controversial exposé on an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia.

Over 20 women have accused the 77-year-old entertainer of countless acts of sexual assault and rape over three decades.

Despite several high profile women including former supermodels Beverley Johnson and Janice Dickinson, actress Louisa Moritz and Hulk star Lou Ferrgigno's wife Carla, all coming forward, Cosby insisted the alleged victims should have been investigated before they were given platforms by the media.

"I met, and fell in love with, and whom I continue to love, is the man you all knew through his work. He is a kind man, a generous man, a funny man, and a wonderful husband, father and friend. He is the man you thought you knew," she said.

"A different man has been portrayed in the media over the last two months. It is the portrait of a man I do not know.

"It is also a portrait painted by individuals and organisations whom many in the media have given a pass. There appears to be no vetting of my husband's accusers before stories are published or aired. An accusation is published, and immediately goes viral."

Cosby then went on to remind readers that it was dangerous to allow the court of public opinion to decide a person's fate.

Invoking the Rolling Stone rape story, which was later found full of "discrepancies", Cosby continued: "The story was heart-breaking, but ultimately appears to be proved to be untrue. Many in the media were quick to link that story to stories about my husband – until that story unwound.

"None of us will ever want to be in the position of attacking a victim. But the question should be asked – who is the victim?"

Cosby's statement comes days after her husband of 50 years told the New York Post that his wife's on-going support was priceless. "Love and the strength of womanhood," he told the paper's gossip column Page Six. "Let me say it again, love and the strength of womanhood. And, you could reverse it, the strength of womanhood and love."

The Cosby Show creator, who has been blacklisted by a number of institutions amid the scandal, also expressed that he hopes that "black media" would remain neutral in their coverage.

"I only expect the black media to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that you have to go in with a neutral mind," he said.