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| GMTV host Kate wins damages |
| Written by Administrator | |
| Friday, 11 April 2008 | |
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GMTV presenter Kate Garraway has accepted "substantial" libel damages from the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror over claims she committed adultery. It follows false stories that implied she had an affair with her Strictly Come Dancing partner Anton Du Beke. Garraway took action against publisher MGN Limited at the High Court in London after two articles emerged in February. The star, who is married to former Labour spin doctor Derek Draper, said she was "glad" the matter was resolved. "The way my friendship with Anton was twisted into something sordid was terribly unfair and upsetting," the 39-year-old said. "No-one likes to take legal action against a newspaper but I could see no alternative. "The accusations threatened to cast a shadow over the wonderful time I had on Strictly Come Dancing." In a separate statement, Mr Draper - now a psychotherapist - said the last few months had been "a stressful time". "But we felt we had to fight for a complete apology and damages because this story was so entirely false and therefore deeply upsetting," he continued. "It is horrid to attack a couple's marriage in this way just because they have a public profile. "I have always been glad Kate and Anton became such good friends and felt sick when that was distorted into something else entirely." Mirror Group Newspapers has agreed to publish apologies and pay Garraway undisclosed damages and costs. "The defendant did not intend to expressly state that Kate Garraway was having an affair," its solicitor told the High Court. However, he continued, the Mirror Group "accepts the articles implied those allegations" and apologised for "the distress and embarrassment caused". Garraway took part in the fifth series of Strictly Come Dancing, becoming the seventh celebrity to be ejected from the competition. Du Beke's previous partners on the BBC One programme include singer Lesley Garrett, TV presenter Esther Rantzen and EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer. Source |
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