Why Sandra Bullock Broke Her Silence Over Sex Tape

April 8, 2010— -- After weeks of keeping mum in the face of damaging allegations about husband Jesse James and their marriage, actress Sandra Bullock finally broke her silence, not to discuss her marriage but to deny reports of the existence of a sex tape.

Why that and why now?

"This one involved her," E! executive news editor Ken Baker said.

This is, after all, a woman known for her chasteness on screen. She didn't perform her first nude scene until last year, when at the age of 44, she appeared naked, except for a strategically placed loofah, in her romantic comedy hit "The Proposal."

"There is no sex tape," the Oscar-winning actress said in a statement to People magazine Tuesday. "There never has been one and there never will be one."

She was presumably referring to a Radar Online report that her estranged husband, who reportedly cheated on her with at least four other women, has made more than a dozen sex tapes, some of them featuring Nazi paraphernalia. Another Internet report suggested that Bullock was in one of the tapes.

James also discussed the matter Wednesday, saying in an exclusive statement to People, "The claims of sex tapes are untrue and completely fabricated."

Presumably, James was referring to not just the reported tape of the couple but the other dozen or so as well.

Bullock's statement marked the actress' first public remarks since reports of James' alleged philandering surfaced last month.

Bullock's rep did not respond to requests to comment.

Bullock has been known to guard her personal life, which, up until now, has been absent from the tabloids. "Her romantic life was never messy, there was nothing to indicate she ever made horrible love choices," E! columnist Marc Malkin said.

Bullock maintains a home in Austin, Texas, to which she retreats often to get away from Hollywood. "Acting allows her to live her life in Austin, where she has an enormous ranch and is rumored to be part-owner in several business," Popeater columnist Rob Shuter said. "She lives there 80 percent of the year."