India, March 25 -- French actor Gerard Depardieu on Tuesday admitted to grabbing by the hips a woman who later accused him of sexual assault.

Depardieu denied that his action amounted to assault and told the court that any crude comments he made were just because of his bad mood.

"I grabbed her hips," Depardieu said, admitting to physical contact with set decorator Amelie K. for the first time, Reuters reported. The actor added that he had not told police about the grabbing when being interrogated

"I grabbed her hip so as not to slip because I was so upset by her, by the heat, it was a Friday towards the end of shooting, I was very tired," he told the court.

A towering figure of French cinema, the 76-year-old Depardieu has faced a gro...