The Sun on Sunday pays Russell Brand substantial libel damges over cheat claims

The Sun on Sunday has agreed to pay comedian Russell Brand substantial damages over a story it ran in November 2013 in which it alleged that Mr Brand had cheated on his girlfriend Jemima Khan.

Mr Brand issued libel proceedings after the newspaper initially refused to publish an apology, withdraw the allegations or remove the story from its website.

In a joint statement in the High Court on 8 May 2014, Mr Brand's solicitor told Mr Justice Tugendhat the newspaper's claims were entirely without foundation and "distressing, hurtful and damaging" and that the newspaper's publisher News Group Newspapers Limited had now apologised accepted that the claims were in fact totally untrue and defamatory and should never have been published.

It is understood that Mr Brand will donate the damages to the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.