Loose Women panellist Nadia Sawalha and her husband, film producer and councillor Mark Adderly, won their defamation case on Wednesday against prominent British newspapers The Daily Mail and Metro.
Sawalha and Adderly secured a full apology and damages after the two newspapers published articles suggesting the latter supported terrorism and antisemitism.
The Daily Mail published an article suggesting that Adderly had praised the 7 October attacks and had blamed Israel for recent antisemitic attacks , including in Golders Green in London and Bondi Beach in Australia.
"The allegations made about our clients were completely false, and following our involvement, the papers accepted that they were false, and they've apologised," Jahad Rahman, Sawalha and Adderly's solicitor, told The New Arab .
"Our clients are anti-Zionists, they're anti-racists, they don't have any hatred towards Jewish people."
"They were not prepared to allow such false statements to go unchallenged."
Rahman noted that the Metro's and Mail’s lawyers accepted their inaccuracy early on and agreed to make retractions. They also agreed to pay for damages and legal costs.
The Metro claimed that Sawalha fully supported her husband, suggesting she endorsed the statements and videos.
"It’s defamatory to say our client expressed any support or sympathy with Hamas which is a proscribed terrorist organisation," Rahman said.
"To even suggest that they've somehow committed a criminal offence, I mean, you can imagine the hurt and the injury that has been caused to them by such false statement."
In a video statement on Instagram, the couple said the "unforgivable" allegations put them and their family in danger.
The solicitor noted that while the retraction does, to some extent, restore the couple's reputation, many people would already have read the articles.
Both publications have since published full corrections and apologies, acknowledged that their allegations were false and agreed to pay "substantial" damages to both individuals together with their legal costs, and undertaken not to repeat the allegations.
"While Mr Adderley does have strong views about Israel and Zionism, he did not make these statements suggesting support for terrorism or hatred of Jews," the Metro said in a statement.
"These allegations were false, and we apologise to Mr Adderley and Ms Sawalha for the error and distress caused."
"It proves just how important it is to push back against a legacy media that will go to any lengths to try and destroy lives and reputations with false allegations," the couple said, adding that they also have a few other cases pending.
Rahman, who has dealt with and has been dealing with similar cases involving pro-Palestine figures believes the defamatory articles are a way of putting pressure on the pro-Palestinian movement.
"It's a way of silencing anyone, silencing advocacy for the Palestinian people who have suffered tremendously and been subject to war crimes," the solicitor notes.
"This is a struggle, not just for celebrities, but society, in that we have to protect free speech."
“Individuals and pro-Palestinian groups should not be silenced for opposing discrimination and violence against a group of people, or a genocide. That’s just wrong in any society."
Sawalha has publicly expressed her support for Palestine online and attended marches in London. Adderly was previously suspended by the Green Party over allegations of "antisemitism" and now serves on Croydon Council as an independent.