The man who accused the voice of Elmo of having sex with him while he was underage has recanted his allegations.

According to The New York Times, which broke the story, the law firm representing the man said he and Kevin Clash had a sexual relationship but it "was an adult consensual relationship."

The Times quotes a Clash spokesman as saying that he was "relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further."

Sesame Workshop, the production company behind Sesame Street, said it was "pleased that this matter has been brought to a close."

The Workshop announced yesterday that Clash had been given a leave of absence to deal with the accusations.

"We are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode," the Workshop said in a statement.

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