Celebs Who Blackmailed Tabloids to Bury Their Affairs

Tabloids thrive on celebrity scandals, but sometimes stars fight back. Wealthy and powerful celebrities often use legal means to suppress damaging stories before they’re published. This can involve obtaining strict court orders or making private agreements with publications – offering exclusive content in exchange for keeping certain details hidden. The people mentioned below are said to have used these kinds of methods to keep their affairs secret.

Tiger Woods

For years, the famous golfer carefully maintained a spotless public image. However, in 2009, revelations came out about a secret agreement he’d made with American Media Inc. to suppress a story about an affair. He allegedly promised to appear on the cover of ‘Men’s Fitness’ magazine if the National Enquirer would kill the damaging story. This deal kept his infidelity hidden until a car accident brought everything to light, sparking intense media coverage worldwide.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous actor and former California governor, successfully kept a significant secret hidden throughout his political career. It came to light that the National Enquirer purchased the rights to a woman’s story detailing an affair with Schwarzenegger, but intentionally chose not to publish it. This prevented the woman from speaking out and shielded his campaign for governor from a scandal that could have ended his political career. The publisher later confirmed this arrangement, which kept the existence of his child secret for more than ten years.

Donald Trump

The wealthy businessman, now a politician, reportedly worked to hide damaging stories about himself. He allegedly had friendly publishers buy the rights to accounts from women who claimed to have had relationships with him, effectively suppressing the stories. These accounts were then kept secret to avoid negative publicity during important times. This tactic of paying to keep quiet later became a key issue in investigations related to illegal campaign funding.

Ryan Giggs

A Manchester United player went to great lengths to hide an affair with Imogen Thomas, securing a powerful court order that prevented the media from reporting on it – even acknowledging the existence of the order itself. The secret ultimately came out when a Member of Parliament revealed his identity using the protections afforded to them in Parliament. Ironically, his strong efforts to keep the affair hidden backfired, drawing far more public attention to it than the affair would have on its own – a phenomenon known as the Streisand effect.

John Terry

A well-known English football captain tried to use a legal order to keep secret a relationship he allegedly had with a teammate’s former partner. The judge first agreed to the order mainly to protect the player’s sponsorships, not his personal life. However, another judge later overturned it, deciding that the public’s right to know was more important than the player’s business concerns. The attempt to hide the story ultimately failed, leading to public embarrassment and the loss of his position as captain.

Jeremy Clarkson

The former ‘Top Gear’ presenter successfully obtained a legal order to stop his ex-wife from discussing their relationship publicly. He initially managed to keep rumors of an affair from appearing in British newspapers by warning her about potential lawsuits. However, Clarkson eventually dropped the legal order, realizing that social media made it impossible to control the spread of information. He later acknowledged that attempting to suppress gossip through legal means was ultimately pointless and costly.

Andrew Marr

As a movie lover, I was fascinated by this story. A well-known political journalist secretly took legal action to bury news about an affair and a child he thought might be his. He claimed he needed to protect his family’s privacy, which is understandable. But eventually, the secrecy became too much – it felt hypocritical, especially for someone in his position, and he admitted to it. The whole thing really shone a light on how people in the public eye sometimes use privacy laws to try and control how others see them, and it felt a bit unsettling.

Rio Ferdinand

A football player sued a newspaper, claiming they violated his privacy by publishing details about his affair. He felt the newspaper shouldn’t have revealed private text messages and meetings. However, the court sided with the newspaper, explaining that because he presented himself as a family man, the story was considered newsworthy. The case became a cautionary tale for celebrities trying to keep personal matters private through legal action.

Hugh Bonneville

The Downton Abbey actor managed to keep his name out of a newspaper story detailing a compromising situation by obtaining a court order. He claimed publishing the story would violate his right to privacy, as protected by European law. For a considerable time, the media was legally prevented from identifying him, even though details of the story were spreading online. This case highlighted how well the British legal system can protect celebrities from unwanted attention from the tabloids.

Liam Gallagher

The lead singer of Oasis fought a tough legal battle to prevent newspapers from publishing details about his child with an American journalist. He claimed the media was harassing him and wanted to keep the situation private. However, information about his lawsuit ended up being reported by news outlets around the world. Many believed he was trying to save his marriage by aggressively pursuing legal action and keeping the affair hidden.

Simon Cowell

The entertainment executive faced a legal battle when he tried to prevent news of an affair with a friend’s wife from becoming public. He spent a significant amount of money attempting to control the story and limit what the media could report initially. The situation was especially complicated by a pregnancy, which strained his personal relationships. Eventually, realizing the story couldn’t be contained, he changed his approach from trying to suppress it to managing the damage.

David Furnish

Elton John’s husband was involved in a very public legal battle concerning a story about a threesome and a request to keep it private. They strongly fought to prevent the British media from revealing their connection to the story. Although the details were well-known in the US and Scotland, publishing the names in England could have resulted in legal penalties for the press. The case highlighted how privacy laws can lead to different levels of public knowledge depending on location.

Howard Donald

A singer from the band Take That used a court order to prevent a former girlfriend from sharing private details about their relationship. He convinced the court that publishing the story would be a violation of his privacy. The order initially kept his identity secret, and he later won a permanent legal block on the information’s release. This allowed him to protect his personal life, while other members of the band faced public attention for their own mistakes.

Gavin Rossdale

Gavin Rossdale, the lead singer of Bush, strongly denied rumors about a past relationship with a singer who dressed in women’s clothing and even threatened to sue anyone reporting on it. For years, he refused to address the issue, hoping to protect his public image and his marriage to Gwen Stefani. Eventually, he admitted to the affair in an interview, but his initial, forceful denials are now seen as a typical attempt to suppress the truth and delay its eventual reveal.

Jude Law

The actor sued several newspapers after they illegally hacked his phone, revealing private details about his life, including an affair with his children’s nanny. He worked tirelessly to prevent the publication of other personal stories. Through legal action, his team secured settlements and apologies from major publishing groups that had unlawfully accessed his voicemail. He used the evidence of these illegal practices to challenge the tabloids that had previously harassed him.

David Beckham

The famous singer hired top lawyers to combat rumors of a relationship with his assistant. He vehemently denied the allegations and threatened to sue newspapers that published them. His legal team worked hard to disprove the stories and stop them from spreading in the media. This strong legal response helped him overcome the scandal and protect his valuable public image.

Charlie Sheen

The popular television actor allegedly spent millions of dollars to keep past relationships quiet. He paid people to prevent them from sharing personal stories with the tabloids, using legal agreements to maintain his privacy. These payments worked like a way to avoid blackmail and kept details of his personal life out of the news. The extent of these payments only became known when he faced financial difficulties and could no longer afford to keep everyone silent.

Eddie Murphy

The comedian fought a tough legal battle to keep details of his relationship with Mel B and the question of their child’s paternity private. He requested DNA testing and wouldn’t publicly acknowledge the child, while also threatening to sue anyone who damaged his reputation. Most of the conflict happened through lawyers, who tried to manage the story and protect his image. Ultimately, he seemed to be trying to keep the relationship and the child hidden from his public life.

Gordon Ramsay

The famous chef publicly fought claims of a long-term affair, taking the matter to court to discredit the person making the accusations and stop private details from being revealed. His legal team insisted the story was false and warned of lawsuits against anyone who shared it. This strong defense was meant to shield his family and business from public criticism.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone reportedly had a close relationship with tabloid editors, allowing him to control the narrative around his public image. It’s been suggested that he used this connection to prevent damaging stories – about himself and his family – from being published. This behind-the-scenes maneuvering helped him maintain a positive, heroic reputation for many years.

2025-11-27 07:16