Former heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno and his girl-friend today accepted a £50,000 libel pay-out and a public apology at London's High Court today over Sunday tabloid allegations that they had split.
Mr Justice David Eady was told that the story appeared on the front page of the The People on 23 April under the heading ‘Bruno baby love split.'
It went on to allege that Bruno and Yvonne Clydesdale who has a three-month-old daughter by him had ended their relationship.
The couple's solicitor, Magnus Boyd told the judge:"The article alleged that Mr Bruno and Miss Clydesdale had split up; that Mr Bruno ended the relationship just days before Miss Clydesdale was due to give birth and had branded her a gold digger, implying, that Mr Bruno had treated Miss Clydesdale in a cold, callous and heartless Manner."
Boyd said the paper also alleged that Bruno had ignored Clydesdale, that he had not taken calls from her and that this was because he thought she was "just after his money."
He continued : "Miss Clydesdale was accused of being a gold-digger. All these allegations are false.
"As the defendant was aware Miss Clydesdale was very heavily pregnant at the time of the publication and the timing and sensational nature of the allegations published caused both claimants distress at an extremely sensitive time in their lives."
He said that the paper now accepted that the allegations were untrue and had already published an apology.
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