Daryl Hannah wins libel damages

Daryl Hannah and Rolf Saxon in The Seven Year Itch

Daryl Hannah has accepted undisclosed libel damages after a newspaper printed an untrue story saying she had flown home to Los Angeles for her dog's birthday when she should have been in rehearsals for a London play.

The actress's solicitor Simon Smith told a judge in the High Court in London that "false and very embarrassing" allegations appeared in an article in The Mirror last October with the headline Jittery Daryl Goes Walkies.

The actress used TV hypnotist Paul McKenna to conquer nerves

Hannah was appearing in The Seven Year Itch, in the role made famous by Marilyn Monroe.

The Mirror has agreed to pay Hannah "confidential damages for libel" and reimburse her legal costs.

The paper admitted that the story was inaccurate and has apologised to the star.

'Apologise'

Mr Smith said: "The claimant (Hannah) is grateful to the defendant for its offer to apologise, in writing, at the outset of this action when it realised the allegations to be without foundation.

"It had relied upon a source for the story and had assumed it to be true at the time of publication."

Daryl Hannah with director Michael Radford

The article said Hannah had flown to LA contrary to the wishes of the play's producers who became panicked at her absence.

Mr Smith added: "It was reported that she then returned to the theatre in London four days later and, when further questioned about the urgent business she had attended to in Los Angeles, claimed that she had been obliged to return home because it was her dog's birthday."

'Distress'

In fact, a month before the play opened Hannah and the play's director Michael Radford had flown to Toronto to promote a film, Dancing at the Blue Iguana, in which they had both been involved.

The play's producers had been aware of the trip, a long-standing commitment, for some time.

Anna Coppola, counsel for Mirror Group Newspaper Ltd, told the judge: "Through me the defendant offers its sincere apologies to the claimant for the distress and embarrassment caused by this article.

"It entirely accepts that the allegations are false."

The actress had spoken widely of her nerves about appearing on the stage and had consulted with TV hypnotist Paul McKenna.

She received good reviews for her performance in the play.