JOHN LESLIE’S hopes of rebuilding his career suffered a setback last night after a television station said that it would not employ him as a chat show host.
Sky One had discussed giving the presenter a deal, rumoured to be worth £1 million, to host a prime-time programme. But the satellite channel, owned by BSkyB, an associate company of The Times, said last night that it had no plans to employ him.
A spokesman refused to say why negotiations with him had collapsed. The announcement will come as a blow to Leslie who was eager to relaunch his career as quickly as possible after charges that he sexually assaulting a woman were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
It is understood that Leslie, 38, is likely to resist the temptation to embark on legal action against those he feels ruined his career.
Friends close to the former host of ITV’s This Morning programme believe that he wants to focus on rebuilding his television career and was concerned that bitter courtroom scenes would serve only to damage his public image.
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However, Leslie is due to consider a list of people that his legal team believe could be sued for their part in staining his reputation. The list includes individuals and media organisations.
James Herring, Leslie’s spokesman, said: “The legal team will present the file to John and take him through the details of the individual cases. He will then have to decide whether to take the cases forward.”
While Sky One’s decision will be a setback, Mr Herring has said that several companies have expressed an interest in filming a documentary on Leslie. “There was a considerable amount in interest from television production companies and other broadcasters yesterday,” he said.
Mr Herring said that there was “going to be no quick fix” to sorting out the star’s shattered life. “He has sold his story to the Express, something he had to do as he has been rendered financially destitute as a result of the last 12 months,” he said.
Friends said that Leslie, who is spending time with his family, had initially thought he would need a “cooling-off” period before trying to rebuild his career. But television polls in which the public said that they wanted him to return to the limelight were said to have given him encouragement.