Gossip Girl star Chanel Maya Banks has said she is not missing and slammed her family in a furious statement. The 36-year-old actress had been reported missing by family, who . It was claimed Banks hadn't been seen in two weeks and members of her family, such as her cousin Danielle, claimed they hadn't heard from her in days.
However, police have since confirmed she has been found "safe and sound". Local authorities told TMZ: "Chanel has now been found safe and sound. She doesn't have any injuries and foul play isn't suspected.
" Chanel herself has now taken to social media to confirm she is "okay" and that she had met with police following concerns about her whereabouts. She issued a lengthy statement, claiming she had suffered "abuse", "manipulation" and "outright endless torment". She said she was "finally free" from her family after leaving them and claimed they had lied about her in the press, and even that they were trying to place her under a "conservatorship".
She also alleged she hadn't spoken to her cousin Danielle, who had herself claimed she and Chanel were in constant contact with one another. In part of her statement on Instagram, she wrote: "I have met with the Police and verified that not only am I okay, but I’m finally free from my mother and her family. They say, once you’re free in Christ Jesus, you’re free indeed, so I told my husband six days ago I was going to get baptised by one of my favourite pastors Pastor Robert Clancy.
He drove me to the airpo.