Los Angeles, Dec 21 (IANS): 'Sex and the City' stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have addressed sexual assault allegations leveled at their longtime co-star Chris Noth.

"We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth. We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it," the three actors, who also star in 'And Just Like That', said in a shared statement posted on Nixon and Parker's Instagram accounts.

Their response came hours after Noth was dropped from the crime drama series 'The Equalizer'.

Two women, who spoke anonymously, separately approached The Hollywood Reporter months apart and shared their sexual assault allegations against Noth.

'Zoe', who works in the entertainment industry and is alleging rape, told The Hollywood Reporter that her assault occurred in 2004 in Los Angeles. 'Lily', a journalist, said she was assaulted by Noth in 2015 in New York City.

The two women have used pseudonyms.

Noth called the allegations "categorically false".

"The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false," he said in a statement.

"These stories could've been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago, no always means no, that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual. It's difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don't know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women."

On December 17, the Daily Beast reported that a third woman had accused Noth of assault, in 2010.

Noth's representative said: "Chris has no knowledge of who this individual is."