A Coronation Street actor talks about the press's "massive" impact

Arriving at London's High Court is Michael Turner

The Coronation Street actor Michael Turner described the impact of press interference in his life as "massive and long lasting," calling it "paranoid.".

One of four people suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for allegedly using illegal tactics is Mr. Turner, who performs under the name Michael Le Vell.

But the actor acknowledged that certain details about him that were reported by MGN titles at the time were also published in other reports.

MGN denies using illegal methods to collect data.

For forty years, Mr. Turner has played Kevin Webster in the soap opera. He testified in court that he is a "very private person" who only shares his mobile phone number with "close friends and family.".

When it was pointed out to Mr. Turner that the information he claims came from hacking his voicemail messages had also appeared in other newspaper reports, he repeatedly conceded, "Yes, it looks that way," after being shown a number of newspaper articles from the early 1990s.

According to a Daily Mirror article, he declined a part in a theater production of Equus because he would have had to "strip off" for a nude scene.

Richard Munden, a barrister for the Manchester Evening News, asked him if he remembered giving the interview after showing him a report from the newspaper in which he appeared to give an interview and explain why he had turned down the position.

No, but that sounds like me, he remarked.

Regarding allegations that information about his daughter's impending birth, including the fact that she was overdue and his then-wife had experienced some complications, had come from hacking his voicemail in 1995, Mr. Turner conceded that he had given an interview to the Sun where he had spoken in detail about the prospect of becoming a father.

When MGN's attorney suggested that he had spoken to the media about it, he answered, "Looks that way, yes.".

The court was shown a News of the World article from September 1995 that described how he and his wife—who was heavily pregnant at the time—had attended a wedding and been in a pub. Mr. Turner testified to the court that he would have likely left such pregnancy-related voicemails for his on-screen wife Sally Dynevor.

When asked about how information about a break-in at his home in 1993 came to light and how his niece later gave him money from her lottery winnings, Mr. Turner was shown a previous article in which he was quoted as saying that his wife was "very upset" and describing the "bad world" we live in.

When asked by MGN's attorney if it was obvious he had talked to a reporter about the break in, Mr. Turner responded, "Yes, looks that way.".

In addition, he acknowledged from the witness stand that in addition to his voicemail, the public and journalists could also access a variety of information about his unsuccessful investment in the Ratio Money financial advisory firm from a variety of sources.

In written testimony, Mr. Turner informed the court that he was "suspicious" about how the Sunday People, one of MGN's publications, came to report on his £250,000 investment in the company in 2010, which resulted in its administration.

But when shown the investment information that was available on Companies House and asked if he was aware that it was there that the public could access it, he responded, "No.".

"I didn't know this document existed," he exclaimed when shown the Companies House listing. ".

In a written statement, Mr. Turner added that he was accused of being a "mole" by some of his coworkers who believed he was leaking information to the tabloid press, particularly since he served as a trade union representative and had access to very private information about them.

There was "a huge feeling of mistrust in the green room," he claimed.

I was for a while known as the "Corrie mole" by the majority of the cast because I noticed that when I entered a room where conversations were taking place, they would abruptly come to an end.

Despite the fact that many people now "know the truth," he continued, many of his professional relationships "cooled" as a result, and the actions of the media resulted in "irreparable damage" to his friendships and reputation.

"I also developed a severe paranoia about rumors and accused my loved ones of being innocent. He continued, "I didn't know who I could trust, so I treated my friends with the same degree of mistrust as my coworkers.

"I was suspicious of them and eventually left my neighborhood pub because I was feeling so anxious; I now sincerely regret this. " .

Mr. Turner claimed that it was not until Ms. Dynevor called him in May 2020 that he learned he might have a claim against MGN.

28 MGN articles are the main focus of his case. The actor "felt sick" about what he views as a "complete violation" of privacy, according to his lawyer, David Sherbourne KC, who testified in court last week.

The trial is ongoing, and Mr. Turner is still testifying.

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