Dan MacLellan, 38, who hosted the CTV London news program for almost a decade, was in court Thursday morning.

He had been charged with four counts of assault his former girlfriend on Christmas Eve.

The two had been arguing about MacLellan's alcohol consumption when, just after 10 p.m., MacLellan grabbed her arm and shook her as she was lying on the bed.

She kicked him away and fled to the living room. MacLellan followed her, shoved her onto the couch, then pushed her onto the floor. He wrapped his arms around her and put her in a headlock.

She screamed for the neighbours to call 911 and MacLellan left the apartment.

The Crown agreed to withdraw three other charges involving the girlfriend.

Standing in front of a judge after pleading guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend, MacLellan said he has learned "that from pain comes wisdom and it come comes in spite of ourselves."

The court heard his childhood was marred by physical violence, and when he would drink, he became violent.

"I have come to learn, and in this case much too slowly, that while I am not responsible for what happened to me as a child or my disease, I am responsible for how I treat them and cope