Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick accused of rape by actress Kristina Cohen

Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick has been accused of rape by Hollywood actress Kristina Cohen. Cohen wrote in a Facebook post that the British actor raped her at his home in 2014.

Westwick vehemently denies all allegations, tweeting that he didn't even know who Cohen was. "I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape," he told his 1 million followers. Westwick is currently starring in the BBC Two comedy series White Gold.

"I was briefly dating a producer who was friends with the actor Ed Westwick. It was this producer who brought me up to Ed's house where I met Ed for the first time," wrote Cohen, who starred in the 2013 film Ladies Like Us.

"I wanted to leave when Ed suggested 'we should all f**k.' I said I was tired and wanted to leave, trying to get out of what was already an uncomfortable situation. Ed suggested I nap in the guest bedroom. So I went and laid down in the guest room where I eventually fell asleep.

"I was woken up abruptly by Ed on top of me, his fingers entering my body. I told him to stop, but he was strong. I fought him off as hard as I could but he grabbed my face in his hands, shaking me, telling me he wanted to f**k me. I was paralyzed, terrified. I couldn't speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me," Cohen said.

The actress told the producer friend who accompanied her to Westwick's house about the incident. She said he "put the blame on me, telling me I was an active participant."

He told her to stay silent, threatening her that "she could forget about an acting career" if she decided to go public, Cohen wrote.

Three years after the alleged assault, Cohen said she still "grapples with feelings of guilt. Unfounded worry that in some way I was to blame."

She wrote that she debated for a long time whether to go public, adding that she hopes her story will "help others to know that they are not alone, that they are not to blame, and it is not their fault. Just as the other women and men coming forward have helped me to realise the same."

Hollywood sex assault scandal

Cohen is the latest actress to come forward with claims of been sexually assaulted. Ed Westwick is best known for playing teenage Manhattan playboy Chuck Bass in the hit series Gossip Girl.

In recent weeks, powerful figures in Hollywood, including Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein and Dustin Hoffman have been accused of assaulting and harassing men and women.

Hollywood has become embroiled in a sex abuse scandal, as the allegations against established directors, actors and producers continue to mount.

Weinstein is currently under investigation by police in New York, Los Angeles and the UK following allegations of sexual assault. The Hollywood producer has denied any accusations of non-consensual sex.

Netflix has cut ties with Kevin Spacey after Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp alleged that the House of Cards actor made sexual advances towards him in the 1980s.