Katie Price to pay Peter Andre damages for libel

Model Katie Price has agreed to pay undisclosed libel damages to her ex-husband, the singer Peter Andre, over claims that he was unfaithful to her. Mr Andre accepted a public apology from Ms Price at the High Court in London. He had brought defamation proceedings over interviews Ms Price gave to Heat magazine in October 2009 and on The Graham Norton Show in the same month. The libel action included claims by Ms Price that Mr Andre was not genuine in his feelings for her son Harvey. Mr Andre, 38, will pay the compensation into a trust fund for Harvey and Ms Price, 33, will also make a contribution to his legal costs, solicitor Mike Brookes told Mr Justice Tugendhat. Neither English-born Australian musician Mr Andre, who is back in Australia after appearing in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, nor Ms Price, who is from Brighton, were at the hearing. Mr Brookes said: "Mr Andre brought these proceedings because his relationship with his children and his reputation are important to him, which Ms Price understands. "Mr Andre and Ms Price are pleased that they have reached a compromise to the proceedings and they now wish to put this matter behind them in the interests of their children." The couple, who divorced in September 2009, have a son and a daughter together - Junior and Princess Tiaamii - while Harvey is from a previous relationship of Ms Price's. They were married for four and a half years. Ms Price's solicitor, Keith Ashby, told the judge: "I confirm what has been said by Mr Brookes, that Ms Price regrets making the comments she made and she is very happy to confirm - as she has said publicly before - that Mr Andre has been a good father to Harvey and has demonstrated his love for him on many occasions. "Ms Price is pleased that she and Mr Andre have been able to put this litigation behind them in the interests of their children." Mr Brookes said that in the Heat interview, Ms Price was asked a question about a song written by Mr Andre called Unconditional, which he had previously explained had been written about his feelings for Harvey. "In response to the question, Ms Price made a comment which questioned the sentiment expressed by Mr Andre in the song. "Ms Price apologises to Mr Andre for her comment, which she withdraws. "Ms Price accepts that the feelings for Harvey which Mr Andre expressed in the song were genuine and that he was not being hypocritical, and Ms Price also accepts that the custody arrangements for Harvey were required because of his special needs and not because of any refusal by Mr Andre to see him more often." Mr Brookes added that in the interview on The Graham Norton Show, Ms Price claimed that Mr Andre had an affair with his manager, Claire Powell. "Ms Price withdraws her claim unreservedly and repeats her public statement made in March 2010 in which she accepted that Mr Andre has not had an affair with Ms Powell. "Ms Price also accepts that Mr Andre has not lied by publicly stating that he never cheated on her. "Ms Price apologises to Mr Andre for the hurt which her claim caused him."