From BBC News Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has told a court the girl he has been accused of raping is "vindictive" and that he was "fighting for my life".Mr Le Vell, 48, who is on trial under his real name Michael Turner, denies 12 offences, including five of rape.
Asked about the girl's claims, he said: "Never in a million years would I do anything like that."
Prosecution barrister at Manchester Crown Court, Eleanor Laws QC, accused him of "clutching at straws".
The girl, who cannot be named, alleges she was abused from the age of six until she was 14.
Answering questions from Ms Laws, Mr Le Vell was asked how he felt at being accused of the allegations.
"I'm devastated, I'm lost. I don't understand where it's come from. It's left such a big hole in life.
"I'm like a lost soul and I still want to get to the bottom of why this has happened to me and why I'm being accused of this because I know none of this happened."
The trial continues.
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