Rio Ferdinand decided to become a crusader against media intrusion into private affairs after being shouted at in the street following newspaper revelations about a 13-year-affair, the High Court was told yesterday.
The former England football captain said that the “kiss and tell” article made him feel that a “line needs to be drawn”. He told the High Court that “there comes a time when you have to say no and this is the time”.
The Manchester United player, who admitted to having “lived the fast life” as a professional footballer and having “succumbed” to the advances of women, said that parts of the Sunday Mirror article were “false and invented” and had made him “angry and upset”.
He said that after its publication in April 2010 people shouted at him in the street about the alleged affair adding that it had been “stressful and embarrassing” having to explain to his fellow professionals, family and friends.
Ferdinand, 32, said the article, based on the recollections of interior designer Carly Storey who first met the footballer when they were both teenagers, had put great strain on his relationship with his wife Rebecca Ellison. The couple, who met in 2000, married in 2009 and have three children.
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During nearly three hours of cross-examination today, parts of which were heard privately, the court was taken through a series of controversial, and often lurid, incidents in the footballer’s past.
There were details of orgies in Ayia Napa involving fellow England internationalists Frank Lampard and Kieron Dyer, Ferdinand’s drink driving ban, a missed drugs test which led to a lengthy doping ban from the game, and of a series of sexual affairs with models and airline hostesses involving sex texting and pre-match liasions in hotels.
Various articles dating from 2006 and earlier were read to court during which Ferdinand confesses to having been unfaithful to Ms Ellison but promising to be a good family man in the future.
Ferdinand said that he had “curbed his lifestyle” when he was often seen coming out of nightclubs and drinking alcohol. He admitted to having been “crazy” and “doing stuff with ladies”.
He told the court today: “I enjoyed life as a young player, living the fast life, but you can’t do that to be a professional.”
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Two months before the Sunday Mirror article was published Ferdinand was made England captain after the incumbent John Terry was demoted following the allegations he conducted an affair with a teammate’s ex-partner. At the time there was a “heated debate” about the responsbilities inherent in the captaincy and the manager Fabio Capello said he expected the captain to be a role model.
Ferdinand said in his witness statement: “Capello told me he had made me captain and reminded me of my responsibilities in general terms to conduct myself in an appropriate manner.”
When cross-examined today about the public’s view on England captains having extra-marital affairs Ferdinand said that Terry’s affair was unique because “he was sleeping with another footballer’s missus”.
The publishers are arguing that the article was in the public interest given Ferdinand’s chequered past and the manner of John Terry’s sacking as captain.
Gavin Millar QC for MGN said it disputed that Ferdinand had a right to privacy in relation to the article adding that the footballer’s 2006 autobiography and a number of self-promotional newspaper interviews did not tell the full story of his life adding that there were aspects “airbrushed” out.
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Mr Justice Nicol has to decide whether the Article 10 rights to freedom of expression of the Human Rights Act trump Article 8 privacy rights.
Ferdinand said in his witness statement: “I have never claimed to be a role model on issues of morality or sexual conduct,” adding in court that he was an example to youngsters of what could be achieved through hard work.
His counsel Hugh Tomlinson QC said that Ferdinand was showing “courage” in seeking damages from the Sunday Mirror for the “gross intrusion into his privacy” adding that the only purpose of the “classic kiss and tell story” was to “titillate” readers.
Mr Tomlinson added: “He is not someone known for his views on moral philosophy and how people should conduct their relations.”
The original article, distributed to the court in a heavily-redacted form, outlined Ms Storey’s recollections of her affair with Ferdinand. The article said that within days of Ferdinand being made England captain he changed his phone number and “ended a 13-year-relationship with Carly Storey”.
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The court was told that Ms Storey, who was paid £16,000 by the Sunday Mirror, is out of the country despite initially having been listed to give evidence. The court was told that she may appear today when the case continues.