Casey Affleck pulls out of presenting best actress Oscar

Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck has pulled out of this year's Academy Awards, BBC News reports, citing his publicist.

By tradition, Affleck - who won best actor for Manchester By The Sea in 2017 - would have been expected to present the best actress award this year.

The actor, brother of Hollywood star Ben Affleck, was sued by two female crew members for alleged sexual harassment in 2010.

He denies the allegations, and the lawsuits were settled out of court.

An Oscars spokeswoman confirmed that Affleck would not attend, saying: "We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year."