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Secretly gay? Not Robbie!
06/12/2005 17:43 - (SA)
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| Singing sensation. (AFP File) |
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London - British pop star Robbie Williams accepted substantial, undisclosed libel damages on Tuesday over false claims in a tabloid newspaper and two magazines that he was secretly homosexual.
The singer songwriter was not at London's High Court for the settlement of his action against publishing companies MGN and Northern and Shell.
But his lawyer, Tom Shields, said: "Mr Williams is not, and has never been, homosexual."
The case was triggered by stories written around the release last year of a book about the heart-throb, said Shields.
The articles falsely suggested that Feel, an autobiographical account of Williams' life, was deceptive because it only covered his sexual relations with women when in reality the 31-year-old was a homosexual.
Shields said that in August 2004, MGN published a story headlined "Robbie's secret gay lover" on the front page of weekly British tabloid The People.
It claimed he was gay and had engaged in casual homosexual encounters with strangers, listing certain examples.
Shields said none of the allegations was true and Williams was not and never had been homosexual.
"Accordingly, the book Feel did not lie about his sexuality," he said.
Described as an autobiography, Feel was in fact an account of Williams' life told, with his co-operation, by Chris Heath, who had lived alongside the singer from 2002 to 2004.
Shields also referred to similar articles published in September 2004 in Northern and Shell's Star magazine and Hot Stars magazine under the headline "Did Robbie have a secret gay fling?"
In court, the lawyer told the judge that in both actions, Williams' complaint was met with an offer to make amends.
"As your Lordship will appreciate, this means that the defendant accepts that these allegations were untrue and has agreed to put right the wrong he has been done," Shields said.
As part of that process, each defendant had published a prominent apology and had agreed to pay Williams substantial damages and his legal costs.
Zoe Norden, lawyer for MGN and Northern and Shell, accepted that the allegations were untrue.
"The defendant apologises to the claimant (Williams) and expresses its regret for the injury and distress caused," she said.
- AFP
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