Damages for Hudson over pictures

[Jenjie]

 

Actress Kate Hudson has won a libel action against the National Enquirer magazine after it published an article suggesting she had an eating disorder.

The magazine ran pictures claiming to show Hudson as "painfully thin" and said her mother, Hollywood star Goldie Hawn, had urged her to "eat something".

 

But lawyers for the magazine admitted the claims were false and agreed to pay damages for the distress caused.

 

Hudson said she was relieved and happy that the situation had been resolved.

 

"The allegations that I sued over were blatantly false," she said. "I could not stand by while such lies were being perpetrated about me."

 

The magazine published the story under the headline: "Goldie tells Kate: Eat something! And she listens!"

 

'No concerns'

 

It further claimed: "Star confronts daughter after photos surface showing her painfully thin."

 

Simon Smith, lawyer for Hudson, told the High Court in London that no such confrontation had ever taken place.

 

"Ms Hawn has explained to me that she never had any concerns about her daughter's appearance whatsoever," he said.

 

Mr Smith pointed out that the magazine had published pictures of the actress taken at around the same time and described her as "looking great" and "stunning".

 

Lawyers for the magazine's publishers, American Media Inc, apologised for any distress and embarrassment caused.

 

The published images circulated widely in September and October 2005.

 

Hudson has appeared in several Hollywood films and won a Golden Globe in 2001 for her performance in Almost Famous.

 

Although Hudson is American and the magazine is published by an American company, she was able to sue under British libel laws because the magazine was also published in the UK.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk