Diane Keaton defends Woody Allen over abuse allegations

Diane Keaton received a life achievement award from the AFI in 2017

Actress Diane Keaton has voiced her support for director Woody Allen, saying she "continues to believe him".

Keaton won an Oscar for her role in his 1977 film Annie Hall, and her comments come after Allen's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow repeated allegations of sexual assault against him.

The 82-year-old director denies all the accusations.

"Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him," Keaton wrote on Twitter.

She linked to a 1992 interview in which Allen defended himself against the original accusations made by his former partner Mia Farrow.

The allegations have resurfaced amid Hollywood's sexual harassment scandal, and Dylan Farrow gave her first TV interview about the subject earlier this month.

In the interview, Farrow said she felt "outrage" after "years of being ignored, disbelieved and tossed aside".

Allen and Keaton were in a relationship in the 1970s

In response, Allen repeated his denial of the claims and issued a new statement saying: "I never molested my daughter."

Keaton's statement comes after a number of actors distanced themselves from Allen.

These include Oscar-nominated Timothee Chalamet, who said last week he would donate his salary from Allen's film A Rainy Day in New York to sexual assault charities, and actress and director Greta Gerwig, who said she wouldn't work with him in the future.