Rio loses 'text pest' complaint

Footballer Rio Ferdinand has lost a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) over a newspaper article which claimed he "bombarded" Abi Titmuss with text messages.

The England player lodged a complaint after the Daily Star claimed the pair had been on three dinner dates, in an article headlined Text Pest Rio Driving Abi Nuts.

Ferdinand denied the story, saying he had not sent text messages or telephoned the former nurse, and that they had never been out together.

He said the newspaper had made no attempt to contact him before publishing the story, although it had sought comments from representatives close to Titmuss.

The newspaper provided a signed statement from Titmuss, saying Ferdinand had contacted her on numerous subsequent occasions, even after he lodged a complaint with the PCC, but that they had not met.

The statement said: "Rio Ferdinand has continued to telephone and text me over a period of weeks in an attempt to persuade me to go out with him, despite the fact that I have made it quite clear that I do not wish to do so.

"I would not say that his attention had been initially unwanted.

"But it would be true to say that his advances have been unwanted since they continued long after I made it clear to him that I was not prepared to enter into a relationship with him."

The newspaper offered to publish a statement saying that Ferdinand denied any contact with Titmuss and that Titmuss said the pair not been out together, but that she confirmed the allegation about text messages.

The footballer rejected the offer, saying he wanted a statement which said the original article, published in April, was inaccurate.

The PCC rejected the complaint, saying both Ferdinand and Titmuss had given them different versions of events.

It said Titmuss's on-the-record statement gave the newspaper grounds for publishing the story.

Because Ferdinand vigorously denied the claims, it was right that he should have been given the opportunity to make his position clear.

But no further action was needed because the newspaper had offered to publish a statement containing the complainant's denial, it said.