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R Kelly has denied all allegations of sexual assault in his first interview since being arrested.

The 52-year-old musician – real name Robert Kelly – broke his silence in an interview with CBS News’ Gayle King…

“I didn’t do this stuff. This is not me. I’m fighting for my f**king life,” he said, referencing the many accusations against him which aired on Lifetime’s Surviving R Kelly documentary.

Gayle King interrogated R Kelly about a number of allegations against him, one of which is the recurring allegation of him holding under-aged girls in his home against their will, confiscating their phones, and even restricting their food…

“Correct me if I’m wrong, that you have never held anybody against their will?” she asked.

“I don’t need to,” R Kelly replied.

“Why would I? How stupid would it be for R. Kelly, with all I’ve been through in my way, way past, to hold somebody – let alone four, five, six, 50, you said — how stupid would I be to do that?!

“That’s stupid, guys! That’s stupid. Use your common sense. Forget the blogs. Forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to, love me if you want, but just use your common sense.

“How stupid would it be for me with my crazy past and what I’ve been through. Quit playing. I didn’t do this stuff.”

Tensions then started to rise, as R Kelly made it clear that he didn’t want to talk about that particular part of his life. Some pictures from the interview have emerged on social media, which show R Kelly being restrained…

“I had two cases back then that I said in the beginning of the interview that I would not talk about because of my ongoing case now,” he continued

“But I will tell you this: people are going back to my past, okay? That’s exactly what they’re doing.

“They’re going back to the past, and they’re trying to add all of this stuff now to that. To make all of this stuff that’s going on now feels real to people.”

The subject then turned to 2008, during which time he was cleared of child pornography charges…

“You were acquitted, you were acquitted,” Gayle King said.

“But I’m not talking about the one case where you were acquitted. I’m talking about the other cases where women have come forward and said, ‘R Kelly had sex with me when I was under the age of 18. R Kelly was abusive to me — emotionally and physically and verbally. R Kelly took me to a black room where unspeakable things happened’.

“This is what they’re saying about you. Why would they say this about you?”

“Not true. Whether they’re old rumors, new rumors, future rumors, not true,” he replied.

“I beat my case. When you beat something, you beat it.”

According to reports, R Kelly appeared in court last month to deny 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He formally entered a plea of ‘not guilty’, and is due back in court on Friday, March 22.

If convicted, he faces three to seven years in prison for each crime he is found guilty of.