Morgan Freeman hits out at claims he is to marry his 27-year-old step-granddaughter

Morgan Freeman has denied ever being romantically involved with his 27-year-old step-granddaughter, E'Dena Hines .

In a statement released this morning, he insists that all reports are"defamatory fabrications"and recent reports that he and Hines have been dating for roughly 10 years and were planning to get married in the very near future were untrue.

Freeman's rep say the actor remained silent for years because he didn't want to "dignify these stories by commenting" , but now he feels compelled to speak out after the reports were picked up by various "mainstream media" outlets.

E'Dena has also issued a statement saying, "These stories about me and my grandfather are not only untrue, they are also hurtful to me and my family."