Sadie Frost Testifies On Press Intrusion In Court Battle

Sadie Frost, the British actor and fashion designer, has taken the stand at the High Court in London, accusing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) of unlawfully gathering information about her during her highly publicized 2003 divorce from fellow actor Jude Law. Frost’s testimony is part of a broader legal action brought by a group of high-profile claimants—including Prince Harry, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, politician Sir Simon Hughes, and actor Liz Hurley—against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. The claimants allege that ANL engaged in voicemail hacking and the illegal acquisition of private records to fuel sensational media coverage.

According to The Guardian and The Independent, Frost’s case centers on 11 articles published about her, which she claims were sourced through unlawful means. She told the court that during her divorce, Jude Law suspected she was leaking stories to the press after private details about their separation appeared in the Daily Mail. “To have the man you love think you’re leaking stories is awful,” Frost said, her voice breaking with emotion. “Our relationship was ruined for many years and it was very difficult to co-parent during this time.”

Frost described how she became convinced that journalists had accessed her voicemails. “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].” She recalled knowing “100 per cent” that some stories came directly from conversations she’d had on her phone.

The emotional toll of the alleged press intrusion was evident as Frost recounted several distressing incidents. She became tearful recalling a 2002 episode when her then two-year-old daughter, Iris, reportedly found an ecstasy tablet at a Soho venue—a story that made headlines and, she says, included a quote that could only have come from a private phone conversation. “I wasn’t with any friends, I was isolated, holed up at home, distressed and trying to be a good mum,” Frost told the court. “This has been on my poor girl Iris’s life forever... it’s just so humiliating... it just made me so ill.”

Frost’s testimony also described the impact on her wider family. She said it was “disgusting” that Daily Mail journalists had targeted her parents, with her unwell father being contacted in hospital and her mother being doorstepped at her home. The actor apologized for becoming emotional on the stand, saying the trial “takes you back to such a horrible time.”

During the proceedings, David Sherborne, the barrister representing Frost and the other claimants, highlighted the extraordinary level of detail included in media coverage about Frost. He pointed to a draft article by Mail on Sunday journalist Katie Nicholl that contained information “not even her sisters or mother knew about.” Sherborne told the court that in late 2003, Frost experienced an unplanned ectopic pregnancy and required surgery at a private hospital. According to Sherborne, only Frost’s then-boyfriend Jackson Scott and “maybe her closest friends” knew about the pregnancy. “All of this is recorded by Ms Nicholl in the draft article,” Sherborne said, questioning, “How did they know she was treated unless they had access to her voicemail or medical records?”

Frost said she was “shocked and appalled” to learn that her confidential medical details had been obtained through doctors. When asked if she could have provided that information herself, she responded emphatically: “Oh my goodness, never.” She added that the stories written about her “violated me, my friends and family, and my children who were still so small, and they made me believe that I could not trust anyone.”

In her witness statement, Frost explained that she did not realize she had a potential claim against ANL until 2019. She described feeling “mortified” upon learning that her landline—a vital means of communication during her divorce—had been listened to. “It was a lifeline for me,” she said. Frost also denied ever attempting to recruit her close friend Kate Moss to join her claim against the publisher, stating that was “100% untrue.”

The defense, led by Antony White KC for ANL, has pushed back against Frost’s allegations. White suggested that Frost’s family and friends had a history of providing information to the media, which could have encouraged leaks. “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,” White told the court. He added, “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.” Frost, however, replied, “I don’t 100 per cent agree with that.”

The claims against ANL are not isolated to Frost. Both Liz Hurley and Prince Harry also became emotional on the witness stand as they described the impact of alleged press intrusion on their lives. Prince Harry, in particular, spent nearly two hours answering questions from ANL’s lawyer. When asked by his own barrister how the proceedings had made him feel, the Duke of Sussex replied, “It’s fundamentally wrong to put us through this again when all we wanted was an apology and accountability. It’s a horrible experience.” He continued, “They continue to come after me, they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery, my Lord.” Harry described the legal battle as a “recurring traumatic experience” and a “repeat of the past,” adding, “I have never believed that my life is open season to be commercialised by these people.” He later said, “The claim that I don’t have any rights to any privacy is disgusting.”

ANL has strongly denied any wrongdoing and is vigorously defending itself against the claims. The publisher maintains that its journalists have acted within the law and that the information published was not obtained through illegal means.

The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Nicklin, is scheduled to conclude at the end of March 2026. A written judgment will be delivered at a later date, potentially setting a significant precedent for privacy and press freedom in the United Kingdom.

As the proceedings draw to a close, the case has reignited debate about the boundaries of journalistic inquiry, the right to privacy, and the lingering scars left by media intrusion on the lives of public figures and their families. The High Court’s decision will be watched closely—not just by celebrities and campaigners, but by anyone concerned about the balance between press freedom and personal privacy.