​Casey Affleck will not be presenting Best Actress at the Oscars in reaction to #MeToo movement

Traditionally, the winner of the Best Actor award from the previous year presents the award for best actress, but Affleck – who won for Manchester by the Sea – has withdrawn, his publicist confirmed.

The 42-year-old actor was sued in 2010 by two women – Amanda White and Magdelena Gorka – who both worked on the mockumentary I'm Still Here, which Affleck directed and Joaquin Phoenix starred in.

Ms. White claimed she suffered "a nearly daily barrage of sexual comments, innuendo and unwelcome advances by crew members, within the presence and with the active encouragement of Affleck" because she refused to spend the night with him in a hotel.

Ms. Gorka alleged that the, then married, Affleck got into bed with her while she slept.

The situation was settled out of court, with none disclosure agreements signed – and the situation apparently swept neatly under the rug until his Oscar win then saw public backlash.

Pre-empting the #MeToo movement, the internet users took notice when co-star Alison Brie chose not to applaud his win.

Little did they know it would only be a matter of months before the #MeToo campaign outed a slew of Hollywood stars.

Affleck has backed down from presenting the award at this years Oscars, in a bid to avoid making things awkward for the actresses nominated or distract from performances which he believes should be the focus.

An Oscars spokeswoman said: "We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year."

See the full list of Oscars nominees 2018 here.

Meanwhile Oscar-winning La La Land director Damien Chazelle has sealed a deal to direct a TV series for Apple's new streaming platform.