7th Heaven dad in deep trouble after shocking confession

He played a loving father and gentle pastor on the beloved TV show 7th Heaven, but in reality actor Stephen Collins allegedly committed some heinous crimes against kids.

Collins was caught on tape by his ex-wife admitting to molesting at least three girls, and is now being investigated by the NYPD for inappropriate sexual contact with minors.

On the audio tapes, obtained by TMZ, Collins describes how he exposed himself to an 11-year-old relative of his first wife and made her touch his penis, which he describes as being partially erect.

“There was one moment of touching where her hand, I put her hand on my penis,” Collins says on the recording. “It lasted a few seconds, and that was the last time.”

Photo credit: FayesVision/WENN.com

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He also specifically mentions two other girls, including one in New York who was between the ages of 12 and 13 at the time, and another in Los Angeles who lived in his neighborhood to whom he claims to have apologized years later.

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Collins is in the midst of a hugely messy divorce from his second wife, actress Faye Grant, who taped the therapy session on the advice of her lawyer.

Collins’ role as the doting, gentle pastor/father on 7th Heaven saw him costar alongside Jessica Biel and Beverley Mitchell in their breakout roles. The role was so beloved that people still tweet the actor about how much it meant to them — and very recently Collins made sure to point out the difference between the real man and the character. Perhaps a bit of foreshadowing.

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…like Eric RT @Mandylekram: @StephenCollins ur my biggest inspiration in my life..I really admired u..All fathers should be like you ..

— Stephen Collins (@StephenCollins) October 2, 2014

Collins has yet to comment on the report.

UPDATE: Since the news broke, Collins has been fired from the movie Ted 2. A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson confirmed he has also resigned from his position on the union’s national board.