Professor Stephen Hawking has rejected claims he has been assaulted and has dismissed media reports about his personal life as completely false.
The physicist, who lives in Cambridge and is a mathematics professor at Cambridge University, said he was profoundly disappointed by the circulation of inaccurate information.
Detectives are investigating allegations that Professor Hawking (62), who is wheelchair-bound and has suffered from motor neurone disease for more than 40 years, has been a victim of assault and abuse.
They say they are speaking to nurses who have cared for Prof Hawking, who is being treated in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, for pneumonia, and hope to speak to the scientist and his 53-year-old wife Elaine.
But, in a statement issued through Cambridge University, Prof Hawking said: "I firmly and wholeheartedly reject the allegations that I have been assaulted. The stories in the media are completely false, and I am profoundly disappointed by the circulation of such personal and inaccurate information."
He made a point of praising Mrs Hawking, his second wife, by adding: "My wife and I love each other very much, and it is only because of her that I am alive today. I request that the media respect my privacy, and allow me to focus on recovering from my illness."
A university spokeswoman said: "The allegations of abuse reported by the media is a private issue being dealt with by Professor Hawking and his family. The University supports Professor Hawking in whatever decision he makes in regards to the allegations being made."
PA