Stephen Collins of '7th Heaven' admits to molesting three underage girls

Stephen Collins, who is best known for playing a dad and pastor on '7th Heaven', confessed to molesting and exposing himself to at least three underage girls.

Collins confessed the sins to his estranged wife during a therapy session and TMZ got hold of the tape evidence.

The NYPD is now conducting a criminal investigation and is contacting the children.

Collins is in the middle of a divorce with actress Faye Grant and the confession was taped in 2012 without his knowledge.

From TMZ:

Grant taped the therapy session. We're told her lawyer advised her it was legal to secretly record the conversation because in California you're allowed to secretly record conversations to gather evidence the other person committed a violent felony ... and molesting a child under the age of 14 qualifies.

You hear Collins flatly confess to molesting an 11-year-old New York girl -- a relative of his first wife -- saying, "There was one moment of touching where her hand, I put her hand on my penis." He also acknowledges exposing himself to the girl "a couple of times" ... he says when she was 11, 12 and 13.

Grant asks, "When you exposed yourself ... did you have an erection?" He responds, "No, I mean, no. Partial, maybe I think."