Hillary Clinton brands Weinstein claims 'heartbreaking' and praises women for speaking out

Hillary Clinton has commended a string of female celebrities for speaking out against shamed Hollywood produced Harvey Weinstein and branded the claims of sexual assault “heartbreaking”.

The former US presidential candidate, who received campaign funding from Weinstein, said the “behaviour must stop” and drew comparisons with Donald Trump.

She told the BBC's Andrew Marr: "I really commend the women who have been willing to step forward now and tell their stories.

"It's important that we not just focus on him and whatever consequences flow from these stories about his behaviour but that we recognise this kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated anywhere, whether it's in entertainment, politics," she said, adding: "After all we have someone admitting to be a sexual assaulter in the Oval Office."

Her comments regarding President Trump were in response to a leaked tape which surfaced during his campaign. In the footage, which was recorded in 2005, he was overheard making crude comments about a married woman.

Mrs Clinton, who is in the UK promoting her memoirs which document her shock defeat in the US election, said: "There has to be a recognition that we must stand against this kind of action that is so sexist and misogynistic.

"It is something that has to be taken seriously, for anyone not just in entertainment. The really sad part of the campaign was how this horrific tape, what he said about women in the past what he said about women during the campaign, was discounted by a lot of voters.

Asked if she believed Mr Trump and Weinstein were similar, she said: "I'm not a psychologist, I can't draw that conclusion. There are credible reports from women about both that sound very similar."

Asked about three reports of sexual misconduct against her husband and former president, Bill Clinton, she said: "That had all been litigated. That was subject of a huge investigation in the late 90s and there were conclusions drawn. That was clearly in the past."

Weinstein's spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister has said: "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein."