Mel Gibson Says Oksana Tapes "Were Edited"

Mel Gibson swears he's not the monster his ex Oksana Grigorieva has made him out to be. In a new interview obtained by Deadline.com, the Lethal Weapon actor says, though he regrets how he acted towards the mother of his child, he feels betrayed, as well.

"Who anticipates being recorded? Who anticipates that? Who could anticipate such a personal betrayal?" Gibson said.

Claiming the angry sound bites that flooded the Internet "were edited," he says he "never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality -- period."

Gibson ultimately pleaded no contest to hitting Grigorieva, with whom he has a 1-year-old daughter, Lucia.

"You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship," Gibson says. "It's one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn't represent what I truly believe or how I've treated people my entire life."

He claims he was able to "end the case and still maintain my innocence."

"I could have continued to fight this for years and it probably would have come out fine," he says. "But I ended it for my children and my family. This was going to be such a circus. You don't drag other people in your life through this sewer needlessly, so I'll take the hit and move on."

Gibson acknowledged that there were legal matters "still pending" and wouldn't confirm the $16 million settlement Grigorieva was rumored to receive.

"Everybody has a dog in the fight but me, oddly enough," he said. "I haven't got a lawsuit out on anyone because I think it's extremely...You have to think about your children. That's all there is to it. I can't really discuss this. There are a lot of delicate and sensitive issues and I don't want to be the cause of grief to any of my children or to friends or family or associates on either side because it's a matter that should be dealt with."

Though he's under a court order not to speak about the case, the actor says he likes to think he'd still choose to "stay mum."

"It doesn't do any good (to air the dirty laundry publicly)," Gibson said. "Maybe, when this is all over and hopefully, justice is achieved, maybe I could say something. But I'd never want to leave anything lying around that would...A lot of damage has been done. I don't want to add to it."

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/mel-gibson-says-oksana-tapes-were-edited/1-a-342889

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