Stephen Collins, the 7th Heaven actor who appears to admit inappropriate contact with several young children in a newly surfaced recording, says his estranged wife Faye Grant has been trying to use the audiotape to extort money from him.

Stephen CollinsStephen Collins will no longer appear in 'Ted 2'

Collins’ lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan told TMZ.com, “Over the course of my representation of Stephen in the divorce case, Faye has repeatedly threatened to give this audiotape to the media unless Stephen agreed to pay her millions of dollars more than that to which she was legally entitled”.

More: Stephen Collins taped allegedly admitting to inappropriate sexual contact with young girls

Kaplan added, “When these demands were rebuffed, Faye attempted - without success -- to peddle the tape in numerous ways to numerous different people. It appears that she has finally found an audience for this tape -- not surprisingly, on the eve of the trial in the divorce case where, again, she is seeking millions of dollars more than that to which she is legally entitled.”

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Since the tape surfaced, Collins has been cut from comedy sequel Ted 2. The actor had a small role in Seth MacFarlane’s trash-talking teddy bear romp though will play no further part in the movie. Collins, 67, is yet to be charged with any crime though a police investigation has since been launched.

Stephen CollinsStephen Collins helping out at the Los Angeles mission

According to a source close to the actor, the incidents outlined on the audiotape occurred between 20 and 40 years ago. According to Entertainment Weekly, representatives for Ted 2 confirmed the firing though the filmmakers declined to comment beyond that. It is thought that Collins’ role was small enough to remove it without any disruption to the script.

Ted 2 is currently set for release on June 26, 2015.