LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant has revealed he believes the stress of his rape case led his wife to miscarry their child - and he can't still can't forgive himself.
Kobe has said he blames himself for wife Vanessa's miscarriage, which happened in early 2005 - the year after he faced trial for rape in Colorado.
The basketball player, who has been married to Vanessa since 2001, says he believes the anxiety caused by the allegations over the 18 months before led to his wife losing what would have been their second child.
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Anguish: LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant says he blames himself for wife Vanessa's miscarriage in Muse, a documentary about his life. Pictured: Vanessa and Kobe at the premiere of the documentary earlier this year
Kobe had been charged with assaulting 19-year-old Katelyn Faber in 2003, but it was dropped at trial when the alleged victim refused to give evidence at trial the next year.
The now 36-year-old denied the charges - but admitted an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser after he checked into the hotel where she was working to await knee surgery.
But the allegation led to him losing lucrative contracts with Nutella and McDonalds at the time, as well as causing stress for his family.
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ShareHowever, Vanessa stood by her husband throughout the case.
In a halting and emotional monologue for his new documentary Muse, Bryant says he let his wife and family down during 'that time'.
But in the two minute clip - marked '2004' - he never refers directly to the rape case which turned his world upside down.
'It is a man's job to look out for your family,' Bryant tells the camera. 'In that aspect, I failed miserably.'
Halting: The star gives an emotional monologue to the camera, in which he says he let his family down
Star: The sportsman was awaiting knee surgery when he was alleged to have raped a hotel worker in 2003
He added: 'We were expecting our second child during that time, and there was just so much stress, she actually miscarried.
'It is something I have a real hard time dealing with that, I feel like it was my fault. We should have been building our family, but because of my mistake, we lost a baby.
'We try to justify the fact its not, realise how common miscarriages are, these things happen, but the reality is it happened because of me.
'That's the reality of it, and that is something I've got to carry forever.'
Kobe also seems surprised his wife did not leave him at the time, taking their young daughter with her, as well as 'half the money'.
'Things would have been really easy for her to leave,' he said in the documentary.
Dropped: The charges were dropped at trial, but Kobe - who protested his innocence- did admit he had a 'consensual' encounter with his 19-year-old accuser, a worker at the Colorado hotel where he was staying
After the case was dropped in September 2004, Kobe agreed to apologise to Faber for the incident, including his public mea culpa.
'Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did,' he said at the time.
'After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.'
Faber filed a separate civil lawsuit against Bryant, which the two sides ultimately settled with the specific terms of the settlement being undisclosed to the public.
It was also revealed he bought Vanessa a $4million dollar diamond ring after the scandal.
The couple - who almost divorced in 2011, but decided to remain together - now have two daughters together.
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