Dame Diana Rigg has won £30,000 in libel damages from the Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard over reports that wrongly portrayed her as an embittered woman who held British men in low regard.
The articles, which appeared in September 2002, claimed Dame Diana had criticised British men and had left the UK to retire to France and live a reclusive existence, her solicitor Tom Amlot told Mr Justice Gray at the high court.
He said Dame Diana had agreed to give an interview to the Mail to raise awareness of the Children with Aids charity, of which she is a patron, However, in its article the newspaper wrongly implied the whole interview had been about her private life.
It suggested she had referred in the interview to the reasons for her break-up with her second husband, businessman Archie Stirling, and had discussed her first marriage to painter Menachem Gueffen, which she had not.
Dame Diana was upset by the newspapers' portayal of her and concerned her professional reputation would be damaged by the false assertion that she had retired, Mr Amlot said.
While the actress owned a house in France, she regarded Britain, where she lived and worked, as her home, he added.
Dame Diana, who was in court to hear the settlement of her libel action, said: "I'm deeply relieved it's all over and only sorry it took so long and so much money before justice and the truth prevailed."
Matt McKenzie, representing Associated Newspapers, said the newspapers sincerely apologised and had agreed to pay Dame Diana substantial damages and legal costs - estimated at £80,000 - as well as making a donation to the Children with Aids charity.
He disclosed the damages were £30,000, and that there was an additional £8,000 payment for "an invasion of Diana's privacy" at her home in France.
Dame Diana is about to start rehearsals for the Tennessee Williams play Suddenly Last Summer, which opens in January.
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