View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Media Law
October 18, 2011

Daily Mail in libel payout to Sir Roger Moore’s wife

By PA Mediapoint

The wife of actor Sir Roger Moore accepted substantial undisclosed libel damages today over a claim that she lived with a “playboy” while knocking around the French Riviera in her youth.

The allegations relating to Lady Kristina Moore in the Daily Mail in October 2010 were completely untrue and seriously defamatory, solicitor Catherine Rhind told Mr Justice Tugendhat at London’s High Court.

The item in the Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle column said: “Playboy Taki Theodoracopulos, 74, says a great love of his life was Kiki, a gorgeous Swede with whom he lived at the Hotel du Cap in 1958. Their affair ended when he found she had been given ‘a fortune in French francs’ by a ‘disgusting’ 90-year-old Frenchman.

“His story [in The Spectator] is bound to send the famously-mobile eyebrows of The Saint and James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore into overdrive.

“A ‘stunning’ Swedish beauty called Kiki – ‘even Gianni Agnelli gave her a whirl’ – who went on to marry a rich man?

“Surely Taki isn’t referring to Sir Roger’s fourth wife, the former Kristina Tholstrup, pictured? Lady Moore, 71, is known as Kiki, did knock around the French Riviera in her youth and did end up ‘very well off’ (after marrying three rich men, including Sir Roger).”

Rhind said the article was illustrated by a photo of Lady Moore, leaving the reader in no doubt that it was inferred that Kiki was Lady Moore.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Despite the serious nature of what was claimed no attempt was made before publication to check the accuracy of the story by contacting Lady Moore, and the newspaper claimed that it was unable to contact Taki.

Rhind told the court: “The true position is that Lady Moore was 18 in 1958 and was living in Sweden with her mother and father and at that time had never visited France.

“She could not therefore have been the person to whom Taki was referring, as has indeed since been confirmed by Taki who has acknowledged that he was in fact writing about somebody entirely different.”

She added that, following Taki’s confirmation that he was not referring to Lady Moore, the newspaper corrected the matter at the first available opportunity.

Associated Newspapers has apologised and agreed to pay Lady Moore substantial damages and her legal costs.

The newspaper’s solicitor, Harry Kinmonth, acknowledged the allegations were untrue and apologised for the distress and embarrassment caused to both Lady Moore and Sir Roger Moore, who were not in court.

  • To contact the Press Gazette newsdesk call 020 7936 6433 or email pged@pressgazette.co.uk

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network