Celebs win case over ‘bad parents’ slur

CELEBRITY couple Katie Price and her pop singer husband Peter Andre won a public apology and damages on Thursday over a newspaper story which claimed they were bad parents.

The couple had sued the News of the World over an article which their solicitor Mike Brookes said portrayed them as “shocking and uncaring parents who put their own needs above those of their children”.

Mr Andre and Ms Price, the former topless model who is known as Jordan, said the story published in February had caused them hurt and damage. The article was trailed on the front page with the headline: “Jordan Exposed: Nanny reveals sex, rows, binges ... And what she’s really like as a mum”, while the full story on the inside pages was headed: “Perfect Mum? What a joke!”

“The article portrayed the claimants as uncaring parents who put their own needs above those of their children, and who are so reckless that they even endanger their children’s health and welfare,” said Brookes at London’s High Court.

He said the story included an accusation about an incident in which Ms Price’s disabled son Harvey, aged eight, had scalded himself on New Year’s Eve 2006.

Mr Brookes said it had suggested that Mr Andre was to blame and that the couple had been ashamed to be interviewed about it by social services. However, he said the article omitted to mention that they were completely exonerated from any blame.

He said it had also alleged that the couple, who have two other children, Junior, three, and Princess Tiaamii, 11 months, neglected Harvey’s health by deliberately feeding him a diet of junk food simply because this was more convenient.

“Again this accusation was not true,” said Brookes. “Allegations of this nature are of course highly defamatory.”

Mr Andre and Ms Price, who married after meeting on reality TV show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here in 2004, had actually won separate celebrity parenting awards, he added.

News of the World lawyer Joanna Workman said the paper apologised, accepted the allegations were untrue and regretted that they were published.

They agreed to pay “substantial” damages, half of which would be put in trust for the couple’s children and half donated to the NSPCC and The Vision Charity.

“Pete and I love our kids and would do anything for them. Anyone who has kids can imagine how it would feel to be accused publicly of being bad parents,” said Ms Price.

“We believe the record has been set straight.”