UUP leader Doug Beattie has said he will ask the party to decide whether he should resign following controversy over historical tweets.
The Upper Bann MLA has faced accusations of misogyny and racism over messages posted on Twitter before he entered politics.
A raft of derogatory messages came to light making references to women, Muslims, members of the Travelling community and people with mental health issues.
He also made a disparaging remark about the Pope, used an offensive term for transgender people and repeated the racist N-word slur.
Mr Beattie said the posts, the majority written before he was first elected in 2014, were "horrendous and horrific".
"I will speak to my MLA group today and I will speak to my party officers through my chairman Danny Kennedy and if either group feels I should step down, then I will," he told the BBC's Nolan Show.
"Likewise, if they think I should refer myself to the party executive or the wider council on a vote of no confidence then I shall do that as well and the party will decide whether or not they can follow my leadership."
Mr Beattie said he was "extremely embarrassed and extremely ashamed" about the tweets.
However, he strongly denied being racist or a misogynist.
The former soldier suggested the "dark and black humour" may have been a "coping" mechanism and reflective of him being "desensitised" by battlefield experiences.
"My mental health has been affected by what I have seen and what I have done," he said.
"I don't want anybody to think I'm giving an excuse because I am simply not, it was wrong and I am deeply sorry."
Mr Beattie, who became UUP leader last May, said he was asking his party for a second chance.
"Whether or not my party feels that I am the leader who can lead them into the election and beyond will be their decision and I will abide by that decision," he said.
"If the party want me to stay I will still be the leader next week, if they don't want me to stay I will not be the party leader next week."
He added: "I am asking people to look at the person I am now and not judge me on the person I was 10 years ago."
The controversy erupted after Mr Beattie posted a joke on Twitter on Saturday night that referenced DUP minister Edwin Poots' wife and a brothel.
Mr Poots said his wife was "disgusted" by the tweet, which had described a fictional scenario involving Mr Beattie and the DUP MLA in a barbershop.
Mr Beattie apologised for the post and deleted it.
However, the controversy then escalated after Belfast Live approached him about old Twitter posts which made derogatory references to women.
In response Mr Beattie issued an apology online for a "number of historic tweets".
He said misogyny must be taken "very seriously", adding: "I am sorry that in the past I have fallen short."
But his apology prompted Twitter users to unearth more offensive messages from his social media profile.
The furore has been a dramatic turn of fortunes for Mr Beattie, who in an opinion poll published on Saturday was ranked as Stormont's most popular political leader.
Mr Beattie said his confidence had been rocked by the controversy and he had isolated himself from friends and loved ones.
"I have to pick myself up and come out of the shadows and face this head on," he said.
