Actor Stephen Collins has confessed to inappropriate sexual contact with three girls.

"Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret," the actor told People magazine in a report published Wednesday. "I have been working to atone for it ever since."

Collins told People he had not had "an impulse to act out in such way" in the last 20 years. He said he had apologized to one of the victims and that she was "extraordinarily gracious."

An audio recording surfaced in October in which a man whom police believed was Collins confessed to exposing himself to and sexually abusing three underage girls. Police in Los Angeles and New York said they reviewed the recording after receiving information in 2012 that the actor may have molested children years ago.

The L.A. Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department and New York police were all examining allegations against the 67-year-old actor, who is best known for his role as the wholesome, family-oriented Rev. Eric Camden on the TV series "7th Heaven." Together, the three agencies were reviewing incidents involving four alleged victims.

Staff writers Richard Winton and Kate Mather contributed to this report.