Daily Star Reporter Confesses To Fabricating Celeb Gossip

Daily Star reporter Richard Peppiatt resigned in protest at what he claims is the British tabloid’s anti-Muslim propaganda, penning a letter to proprietor Richard Desmond which he also confessed to fabricating gossip about celebrities including Michael Jackson and Robbie Williams. The letter reads in part:

Daily Star favorite Kelly Brook recently said in an interview: “I do Google myself. Not that often, though, and the stories are always rubbish. There was a story that I’d seen a hypnotherapist to help me cut down on the time I take to get ready to go out. Where do they get it from?”

Maybe I should answer that one. I made it up. Not that it was my choice; I was told to. At 6pm and staring at a blank page I simply plucked it from my arse. Not that it was all bad. I pocketed a £150 bonus. You may have read some of my other earth-shattering exclusives.

‘Michael Jackson to attend Jade Goody’s funeral’. (He didn’t.) ‘Robbie pops ‘pill at heroes concert’. (He didn’t either.) ‘Matt Lucas on suicide watch’. (He wasn’t.) ‘Jordan turns to Buddha.’ (She might have, but I doubt it.)

I know showbiz is the sand on which your readership is built. And while I didn’t write tittle-tattle dreaming of Pulitzers, I never knew I’d fear a Booker Prize nomination instead.

Check out the entire letter here.

Take That’s First Single With Robbie Back Debuts At #2

November 16, 2010 - Take That’s first single with Robbie Williams back in the fold, ‘The Flood’, has been beaten to number one in the singles chart by Rihanna’s ‘Only Girl (In The World)’, even though her song had been out for three weeks. “You know, number 2, number 1, number 3, who cares,” Robbie told ITN a few weeks ago. Watch a report at blinkx.