Nikki Sanderson says media interest put her in 'constant state of anxiety'

Former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson has told the High Court that being followed by the paparazzi put her in a "constant state of anxiety".

She alleges dozens of articles about her were made possible because photographers knew where she was, having listened to her voicemails.

Ms Sanderson is one of four people suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), accusing it of using unlawful methods.

The publisher denies this, and says some claims have been brought too late.

Ms Sanderson was cross-examined by MGN lawyer Andrew Green KC, who asked her why she complained about paparazzi pictures when she also appeared in photo shoots.

She defended her right to be photographed for men's magazines in the 2000s, sometimes using an "arm bra" pose to avoid appearing topless.

"This sort of article was something I consented to. If I want to do a photo shoot like this, it's within my human rights to do so - shouldn't I have consent over my image?" she said.

Unlike countries such as France, the UK has no specific law protecting someone from having their photograph taken in public.

Privacy cases in British courts are generally based on the broad right to privacy protected by the Human Rights Act, which protects a person's right to a private life free "from media interference".

In tears, Ms Sanderson said giving evidence in the trial had been "humiliating".

She has been asked about more than two dozen stories covering her relationship with former boyfriends, her estranged father and the backlash she suffered for playing hairdresser Candice Stowe, a character on Coronation Street whose storyline involved cheating on a boyfriend.

"I've got to talk about it again in front of all these people and some of it is really embarrassing," she said, adding that being in the witness box made her feel like she was the one "on trial".

Ms Sanderson complained about a May 2005 article in the Daily Mirror in which she was pictured on holiday in the Caribbean with her then-boyfriend Danny Young, seemingly unaware of the presence of a photographer.

In a witness statement she said: "When you're on holiday you want to be able to relax and be comfortable without having to worry about holding your tummy in or doing your hair."

"Knowing that you have to be on guard because there could be someone lurking in a bush to take your photo is not nice," she said, adding that she remembered seeing people with large cameras and automatically assuming they were paparazzi because she was in a "constant state of anxiety".

Ms Sanderson's agent Carol Godby told the court her client grew increasingly concerned about press intrusion, becoming "quite nervous, looking over her shoulder".

"On trains we used to pass notes - she was bothered about people listening in," Ms Godby said, adding that her client was worried that members of the public would sell stories about her.

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Mr Green put it to Ms Sanderson that many of the articles she had selected for the case as damaging to her privacy were actually positive.

In reports about her possibly leaving Coronation Street to become a singer, she was described as having the potential to be the next Kylie Minogue.

"This is lovely stuff," Mr Green said.

But in her witness statement, Ms Sanderson said that when this did not happen, people assumed she had "failed" and "wasn't good enough" and that she "received a lot of negative comments about this".

"Mean comments are never easy to deal with but being young and having to deal with that is hugely impactful and it has shaped me as a person going forward," she said.

She said she would not have agreed to do the interviews she had done voluntarily with Mirror Group titles if she had have been aware of its alleged involvement with phone hacking.

"It's a massive invasion of privacy, what they've done," she said.

Prince Harry gave evidence at the hearing in early June

The case is also due to hear from other claimants including Coronation Street actor Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, and Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse.

Prince Harry has already testified, and said he is suing MGN to stop "absolute intrusion and hate" towards him and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.

The claimants all allege unlawful methods were used to obtain information for stories and say senior executives must have known about it and failed to stop it, which MGN denies.

MGN, which has admitted widespread unlawful information gathering against other celebrities, has argued some of those making complaints, including Ms Sanderson, should have brought their legal action years ago, under rules that civil claims must be made within six years.