LONDON:

Nicole Kidman on December 14 accepted damages from The Daily Telegraph newspaper for falsely reporting that she had breached the terms of her promotional contract for Chanel No. 5 perfume. Details of the settlement of the libel suit were not disclosed, and the actress was not in court for the announcement.

Her lawyer, John Kelly, said Kidman suffered considerable embarrassment and distress over the report, which was printed in November.

The newspaper’s ‘Spy’ column had reported that Kidman carried a bottle of a competitor’s perfume while she was in London to promote her new film, The Golden Compass. Kelly said the newspaper had determined that the source of the report had invented the story. He said, “The Daily Telegraph agreed to pay Kidman’s legal costs and ‘substantial’ damages.” Kelly said she intended to donate the damages to the United Nations Development Fund for Women.