Sex And The City star Chris Noth responds to allegations of sexual assault

The US actor, 67, best known for his role as Mr Big in the hit TV series and current spin-off And Just Like That…, has been accused of assaulting two women more than 10 years apart.

The women, who do not know each other, approached trade publication The Hollywood Reporter separately to claim Noth’s reprisal of his role in the new show had stirred up painful memories.

One woman, who is given the pseudonym Zoe, said she was 22 and working in an entry-level job for a high-profile firm where Noth and other celebrities regularly had business when he assaulted her in his apartment in Los Angeles in 2004.

Another woman, given the pseudonym Lily, was 25 and working as waitress in the VIP section of a New York nightclub when she met Noth in 2015.

She claims he assaulted her in his New York apartment.

A statement from Noth said: “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false.

“These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross.

“The encounters were consensual.

“It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”

Noth has been in the headlines in recent days after his character, who is married to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw in And Just Like That…, was killed off in the series debut after completing a Peleton spinning class.

He has subsequently appeared in an advert for the fitness brand.