Luna
29-10-2005, 16:52
Chris Evans is suing a national newspaper for libel over a story about his split with wife Billie Piper.
The BBC Radio 2 DJ's solicitor has begun proceedings against the Daily Star newspaper.
It claimed Mr Evans gave it an exclusive interview where he blamed the BBC series Doctor Who - in which Ms Piper stars - for the break-up.
Mr Evans said the story was "completely fabricated". The Daily Star has not responded to his allegation.
Secret ceremony
In a solicitor's statement, Mr Evans added he did not give the newspaper an "intimate interview" as suggested in the front page article - continued on two pages inside - which appeared on Thursday.
"Mr Evans feels so strongly that on this occasion he has felt it necessary to commence libel proceedings to set the record straight in an effort to mitigate the damage caused by this false report," the statement said.
Mr Evans and Ms Piper married during a secret ceremony in Las Vegas in May 2001 when he was 35 and she was 18.
The couple have remained friends, despite their split
They split in 2004 while Ms Piper was filming Doctor Who in Wales.
Ms Piper, now 23, first came to prominence as a teenage pop star, scoring a debut chart-topper with Because We Want To in 1998.
On Tuesday night she won the most popular actress award at the National TV Awards for her role as Rose Tyler in the BBC programme.
Mr Evans joined Radio 2 in September - his first regular presenting job for four years.
The broadcaster disappeared from the limelight after being sacked as Virgin Radio's breakfast host in 2001.
He will make a TV comeback later this year with a live Sunday evening talk show on ITV1.
The BBC Radio 2 DJ's solicitor has begun proceedings against the Daily Star newspaper.
It claimed Mr Evans gave it an exclusive interview where he blamed the BBC series Doctor Who - in which Ms Piper stars - for the break-up.
Mr Evans said the story was "completely fabricated". The Daily Star has not responded to his allegation.
Secret ceremony
In a solicitor's statement, Mr Evans added he did not give the newspaper an "intimate interview" as suggested in the front page article - continued on two pages inside - which appeared on Thursday.
"Mr Evans feels so strongly that on this occasion he has felt it necessary to commence libel proceedings to set the record straight in an effort to mitigate the damage caused by this false report," the statement said.
Mr Evans and Ms Piper married during a secret ceremony in Las Vegas in May 2001 when he was 35 and she was 18.
The couple have remained friends, despite their split
They split in 2004 while Ms Piper was filming Doctor Who in Wales.
Ms Piper, now 23, first came to prominence as a teenage pop star, scoring a debut chart-topper with Because We Want To in 1998.
On Tuesday night she won the most popular actress award at the National TV Awards for her role as Rose Tyler in the BBC programme.
Mr Evans joined Radio 2 in September - his first regular presenting job for four years.
The broadcaster disappeared from the limelight after being sacked as Virgin Radio's breakfast host in 2001.
He will make a TV comeback later this year with a live Sunday evening talk show on ITV1.