TV presenter John Leslie vowed to clear his name yesterday after being charged with sex offences following a lengthy police investigation.

The former host of ITV's This Morning programme was charged with indecently assaulting the same woman on two occasions between May 25 and May 28, 1997.

The star was charged in his real name, John Leslie Stott, and his first hearing will be at Bow Street magistrates court in central London on July 2.

Emerging from Forest Gate police station in east London, Leslie, 38, insisted there was ''absolutely no truth'' in the allegations.

"Now I will have the chance to show my innocence in a court of law to a jury of my peers," he said.

Leslie paused frequently and looked strained as he read from his statement.

Explaining that he had been asked not to speak publicly by police while they were investigating, he said he was now eagerly awaiting his trial which would allow him to "confirm my innocence and reclaim my life".

The former Blue Peter presenter said: "I can't tell you how difficult it was for me and my family to remain silent with such accusations facing me.

"To be accused of such a crime when you are innocent is a heavy burden for any man to carry, but if you are in the media spotlight, it's a particularly cruel experience."

He added: "This ordeal has been made all the more difficult because of how much it has upset my family, particularly my mother.

"Without their love, my girlfriend Abby, the tremendous loyalty of my friends and supporters, this ongoing nightmare would have been unbearable."

Leslie, a former boyfriend of Catherine Zeta Jones, was arrested on December 5 by detectives investigating the alleged rape of a 30-year-old woman at a party in 1998 and alleged indecent assaults against two other women.

He has not been charged with rape and the two counts of indecent assault he faces relate to one woman.