Laurence Fox has told a libel trial his life was “destroyed” by “hurtful” racism allegations, reports The Guardian.
The libel trial goes back to a tweet sent by Sainsbury’s about Black History Month.
Laurence Fox Tells Trial Why Life Was ‘Destroyed’
In response, Fox, 45, called for a boycott of the supermarket in October 2020 and was called a racist by Crystal, a drag artist, Simon Blake, a former Stonewall trustee, and actor Nicola Thorp.
He subsequently termed each of the trio as a “paedophile”,
This kicked off the libel action by Blake and Crystal.
Mr Fox, who denies he is racist, is now countersuing the three over their tweets.
Caught up yeh?!
Mortgage
In written evidence, the actor said he was “horrified” when he saw that he had been called a racist, which he later described as “a career-ending word, and a reputation-destroying allegation”.
He claimed that by 2020 he was earning at least £500,000 to £600,000 a year from acting but his “life was destroyed by what they did” and he became a target.
Fox said he had lost his agent and experienced a dramatic drop in his income such that “I couldn’t get a mortgage”.
The former actor said he faced similar issues to Nigel Farage being debanked, with his bank “regularly questioning” legitimate transactions.
Lorna Skinner KC, representing Blake, Seymour and Thorp, said earlier that the trio “honestly believed, and continue honestly to believe, that Mr Fox is a racist”.
The trial is due to conclude this week and a decision is expected at a later date.
Jolyon Maugham wrote: “Was his life destroyed by being called a racist or being a racist is, broadly, the question Laurence Fox has asked the Court to decide.”
Batman
The court heard that he thought he was lined up for a role in a Batman film before he was embroiled in the racist claims.
Well, this got people talking…
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Or simply…
Related: Laurence Fox sexist trolling backfires on him spectacularly
