Adam Levine has addressed the recent allegations that he cheated on his wife Behati Prinsloo, claiming that he “did not have an affair” but “crossed the line”.
The Maroon 5 frontman, 43, who is currently expecting his third child with his wife of eight years, responded to the allegations, which were shared on TikTok on Monday by model Sumner Stroh, in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air. I used poor judgement in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner,” Levine wrote in a post shared to his Stories. “I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life.”
He went on say that “in certain instances, it became inappropriate” and that he has “addressed that” and “taken proactive steps to remedy this with [his] family”.
“My wife and my family is all I care about in this world,” he continued. “To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again. I take full responsibility.”
Levine concluded his post assuring his fans and followers that he and his family would get through the rumours “together”.
“We will get through it. And we will get through it together,” he wrote.
Levine’s statement comes after Stroh, a 23-year-old model, made the allegations in a TikTok video on Monday 19 September.
In her video, Stroh said: “I was having an affair with a man who’s married to a Victoria’s Secret model,” before claiming: “At the time, I was young, I was naive, and, I mean, quite frankly, I feel exploited.”
Stroh, who said the relationship lasted about a year, also shared screenshots of Instagram messages she claimed were sent by the Maroon 5 singer from his verified Instagram account, in which he told her: “It’s truly unreal how f***ing hot you are. Like it blows my mind.”
In the video, Stroh also included a screenshot of a message she allegedly received from the singer after the pair ended their relationship. The image appeared to show Levine asking whether he could name his unborn child after her.
“OK serious question. I’m having another baby and if it’s a boy I really wanna name it Sumner. You okay with that? DEAD serious,” Levine reportedly wrote, along with a single shrugging emoji.
The model claims she decided to speak out about the experience after the alleged affair was reportedly leaked to tabloids by “friends I thought I trusted”.
In a follow-up video shared later the same day, Stroh said she had initially wanted to speak about the relationship while acknowledging how “disgusted, embarrased and remorseful” she felt, but didn’t want people to think that she was “playing the victim”.
Stroh also reiterated her claim about a friend attempting to “sell” the story to a tabloid, an attempt that the Instagram model said she learned about on Sunday when the outlet reached out to her for comment.
“So I was completely frantic,” she said.
In the second video, Stroh also said that she was “under the impression” that Levine and Prinsloo’s marriage “was over”. “I believed that they were keeping it quiet to avoid the negative press, because, as I said, I was new to LA. So I just assumed with celebrities of that caliber that that’s just how it was,” she continued. “And that’s why I feel exploited, because he knew that I believed everything that he said, because of my vulnerable position of being new to LA.”
Stroh also claimed that, because Levine was reportedly messaging her from his verified Instagram account, she didn’t “have any reason to further question” his alleged claims about the status of his marriage.
She went on to claim that she wishes she’d “questioned things more” before noting: “Being naive is not an excuse for what I did and the role I played in this.”
The 23 year old concluded the video telling her followers that she is “so, so sorry” to Prinsloo and her children.
Levine has been married to the Victoria’s Secret model since 2014. The couple shares two daughters, aged four and five, and announced earlier this month that they are expecting their third child.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Levine and Stroh for comment.
