Sadie Frost Details Alleged Mail Hacking Impact in Court

LONDON (Azat TV) – Actor Sadie Frost delivered emotional testimony in a London court on Monday, accusing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, of unlawfully gathering private information, including medical records and voicemails, for articles published about her. Ms. Frost detailed the profound and lasting impact these alleged actions had on her family, relationships, and personal well-being, as she joined a high-profile legal action against the media giant.

Emotional Testimony Reveals Private Leaks

Ms. Frost, 60, became tearful in the witness stand as she recounted incidents from the early 2000s, stating that it was “disgusting” that Daily Mail journalists had targeted her parents, with her unwell father contacted in the hospital and her mother doorstepped at her home. She apologized for her emotional state, explaining that the trial “takes you back to such a horrible time.”

A particularly distressing incident she recalled involved a 2002 press report about her then two-year-old daughter finding an ecstasy tablet at a Soho venue. Ms. Frost told the court that the article included a quote she believed could only have come from a phone conversation, stating, “This has been on my poor girl Iris’s life forever… it’s just so humiliating… it just made me so ill.” At the time, she described herself as “isolated, holed up at home, distressed and trying to be a good mum,” not with friends.

The actor is currently being questioned about 11 articles published about her, which she claims were sourced through unlawful information gathering by ANL. She explicitly stated her belief that many articles were derived from voicemails exchanged with her then-husband, fellow actor Jude Law. “One thing about voicemails is you have to choose your words quite carefully,” she explained. “I would be very precise about what I was saying. That’s how I knew a lot of the articles were about my voicemails to Jude [Law].”

The alleged leaks severely strained her relationship with Mr. Law, who questioned if she was the source of the stories. “To have the man you love think you’re leaking stories is awful,” Ms. Frost stated, adding, “Our relationship was ruined for many years and it was very difficult to co-parent during this time.”

Medical Records Allegedly Accessed

Last week, David Sherborne, who represents the claimants, presented evidence suggesting that Mail on Sunday journalist Katie Nicholl had drafted an article in late 2003 containing highly sensitive details about Ms. Frost’s unplanned ectopic pregnancy with her then-boyfriend Jackson Scott. Ms. Frost had undergone an operation at a private hospital for the condition, and Mr. Sherborne asserted that only Mr. Scott and “maybe her closest friends” knew about the pregnancy.

“All of this is recorded by Ms. Nicholl in the draft article,” Mr. Sherborne told the court, questioning, “How did they know she was treated unless they had access to her voicemail or medical records?” Ms. Frost herself expressed shock and dismay that her medical details had been obtained through doctors, emphatically denying she would ever have provided such sensitive information to the press. In her witness statement, she described her feelings of being “mortified” upon learning her landline had been listened to, calling it “a lifeline for me.”

ANL’s Defense and Broader Implications

Antony White KC, representing ANL, challenged Ms. Frost during cross-examination, suggesting that her family members providing information to the press “was likely to encourage” her friends to do the same. Ms. Frost responded, “I don’t 100 per cent agree with that.” Mr. White KC also argued in court that “Ms. Frost’s circle was and was known to be ‘leaky’ in the period when her marriage to Jude Law was in difficulty, and this and their subsequent divorce was frequently being reported in the media.” He further contended that “Members of Ms. Frost’s family also regularly provided information to the media about Ms. Frost’s and Mr. Law’s private lives without any compunction.”

Ms. Frost’s case is part of a larger legal action against ANL, which includes other prominent figures such as Prince Harry, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actor Liz Hurley. Last week, both Ms. Hurley and the Duke of Sussex also became emotional in the witness stand while giving evidence about the alleged intrusion’s impact on their lives. Prince Harry described the case as a “recurring traumatic experience” and a “repeat of the past,” asserting that his life is not “open season to be commercialized by these people.”

ANL has strongly denied any wrongdoing and is defending all claims. The trial, presided over by Mr. Justice Nicklin, is expected to conclude at the end of March, with a written judgment to be issued at a later date.

The ongoing legal battle underscores the significant and lasting psychological toll that alleged unlawful information gathering by media outlets can have on public figures and their families, highlighting the persistent struggle for privacy in an era of intense media scrutiny.