Hello! owner says sorry to stars

THE owner of Hello! magazine yesterday apologised to Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas for publishing their wedding pictures without permission.

But Eduardo Sanchez told a High Court judge he thought their reaction when they gave evidence last week was "a little bit exaggerated".

Michael Tugendhat QC, who is representing the two Hollywood stars, asked Mr Sanchez about untrue details about the wedding in his magazine, which is being sued for a total of stg£2.25 million by the couple and rival magazine OK! which was granted exclusive rights to cover the wedding in November 2000.

Mr Tugendhat said the text read that Mr Douglas had not danced with his new bride at their reception in the Plaza Hotel, New York. It was also stated that he had given her a stg£1 million yacht as a wedding present.

Mr Sanchez said the text was probably written at the Madrid offices of Hello!'s Spanish counterpart, Hola!, and added that he had never paid any attention to the text, only to the layout of the pictures, which he oversaw personally.

He was unaware that the statements were untrue, he said.

Mr Tugendhat asked: "Do you not think that the implication of the statements is unpleasant?"

Mr Sanchez replied: "Well, it doesn't seem to me to be unpleasant."

Told by Mr Tugendhat that Catherine Zeta-Jones was very distressed by the publication, he replied: "I am sorry about that."

Mr Sanchez said he published the photographs to defend the economic interests of his magazine. He denied it was out of revenge Hello! had made a similar offer to the couple for exclusive coverage.

"Were you surprised to hear how distressed they were?" asked Mr Tugendhat.

He replied: "To a certain extent yes. I think that their attitude was a little bit exaggerated."

Mr Sanchez said he had not realised the way the couple had reacted to the photographs until he read press reports after they gave evidence at the High Court last week.

Mr Tugendhat said: "Do you intend to convey an apology?"

"Obviously any way in which I have offended her, yes," said Mr Sanchez.

But he said he still believed they had sued him because by publishing the unauthorised pictures, they believed he had damaged their exclusive deal.