Grant Denyer wins mag battle as New Idea apologises

Grant Denyer today scored a big victory against New Idea over an infamous “false” story that left his wife Chezzi “heartbroken.”

Grant Denyer has had a significant win in his war against New Idea, with the tabloid magazine publicly apologising for their recent “false” front cover story about him.

And the TV presenter has revealed he’s also received a “confidential settlement” for the story, which suggested he was having an extramarital affair with his Dancing With The Stars dance partner Lily Cornish.

Stay up to date with the latest entertainment news on Flash, Australia’s biggest news streaming service. New to Flash? Try 14 days free >

Denyer posted a photo of the mag’s public apology to his Instagram account today. Titled “Apology to Grant Denyer, Chezzi Denyer and Lily Cornish,” the note published in the latest issue of New Idea admits that Grant’s wife Chezzi was “heartbroken” as a result of the “false” article.

October’s front cover story …

… and this week’s apology.

“Are Media and New Idea acknowledge that Grant Denyer and Lily Cornish are not having an extramarital affair. They have never had an affair,” the statement reads, ending with an apology for “the hurt and embarrassment caused by the article.”

Announcing the win to his Instagram followers, Denyer wrote that “while we can’t ever remove the front cover from circulation, we hope this sets a serious precedent for the future”.

“Thanks to each and every one of you who have sent us letters, emails and messages of support throughout this, and to all of those who passed on their distain (sic) to New Idea and boycotted the magazine, we thank you from the bottom of our heart. Without your support the 3 of us may not have been brave enough to take on this media giant.”

The initial article was published in mid-October and featured photos of Denyer, 44, with his hand on Cornish’s thigh, alongside captions like “Grant Denyer caught out” and “Chezzi’s heartbreak.”

The Denyers said Cornish (left) was “like our adopted daughter.”

Grant and Chezzi have now received an apology.

The Denyers didn’t waste time in refuting the story, with Chezzi writing on social media that the photos had been taken wildly out of context.

“Right before this little ‘she’ll be right’ leg pat … I was on the phone with them also consoling Lilz,” she wrote, explaining that Cornish is a close friend of the couple’s.

“Lilz is like our adopted daughter. We grew extremely close during her month long stay with us here in Bathurst. We absolutely adore her!”

In a radio interview that week, Grant described it as “a horrible made up story that’s embarrassing for everyone.”

“I just feel bad that I’ve put everyone in this position … I’ve given her a tap on the leg letting her know everything’s gonna be OK after we’ve just divulged our lives to each other as we’re having a DWTS meltdown, and now I’ve embarrassed my family in this situation where I’ve not even done anything wrong,” he said at the time.

New Idea soon removed the online version of the story from their website, but it remained plastered on news stands for the week the magazine was on sale.

In today’s Instagram statement, Grant revealed that he and Chezzi had employed the services of a lawyer “with every intent of suing but have since reached a suitable confidential settlement outside of court which includes, most importantly, a public apology and admission that the story and headline were false.

“Writing false stories should be ILLEGAL but it’s not,” he wrote.

Originally published as Grant Denyer wins mag battle as New Idea apologises