Kidman wins damages over perfume claim

Nicole Kidman has won libel damages from the Daily Telegraph over claims that she had jeopardised her position as celebrity spokeswoman for perfume Chanel No. 5.

An article last month claimed that Kidman preferred Jo Malone's White Jasmine and Mint, and that she had been spotted "dabbing it on whenever she had a moment" while promoting her new movie The Golden Compass in the UK.

Her lawyer John Kelly said the report suggested that his client had behaved in an "unprofessional and disloyal manner" by snubbing Chanel. He added that she had suffered "considerable embarrassment and distress" over the claims.

Kelly told London's High Court that the Telegraph acknowledged that the story was false and had discovered that their source had made it up.

He told reporters that the newspaper had agreed to pay Kidman's legal costs and "substantial" undisclosed damages, which she intended to donate to the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Last week, the Telegraph printed an apology for the article, saying: "We now accept that it was entirely untrue to allege that Nicole Kidman had been openly using and promoting a competitor's product."