The Apprentice star Ruth Badger lands phone hacking payout

The Wolverhampton businesswoman settled for damages out of court after taking legal action against the owners of the News of the World.

It is claimed that journalists hacked her phone and gathered information to use in a series of articles on her private life after her appearance on the second series of the show featuring multi-millionaire Lord Sugar.

The 2006 Apprentice runner-up has received a payout of a suspected five figures but the exact amount has not been revealed.

The Express & Star understands the complaint refers to several reports speculating that she split from her husband and came out to friends.

She joins a high-profile list of celebrities who have settled with the News of the World publisher, including Ashley Cole, Jude Law, Sadie Frost and John Prescott.

The fact that Ms Badger was claiming against News Group Newspapers was first confirmed at a case management conference in September 2012, when it was announced that there were 155 claimants who had issued proceedings against the firm for phone hacking.

Newsgroup Newspapers Limited is the name of the publishers of The Sun and the now defunct News of the World newspaper.

Atkins Thomson were the lead solicitors for the group of claimants, which also included footballer Peter Crouch and his wife Abbey Clancy, UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Cherie Blair.

Since her appearance on The Apprentice, Ms Badger has become one of the show's biggest success stories, despite losing the crown to winner Michelle Dewberry.

After the show, she filmed her own series called Badger or Bust for Sky One and it was also shown in Australia, America and New Zealand.

She also launched two new businesses and has taken on a string of public speaking appearances. Her firm Ruth Badger Consultancy is now based in Manchester but she is still fiercely proud of her Wolverhampton roots.

She could not be reached for comment today.

It comes days after it emerged former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been questioned by police over claims of phone hacking.

The 48-year-old was interviewed under caution at the end of 2013 by officers investigating claims of illegal interception of voicemails by Mirror Group journalists.

The Mirror Group was brought into the phone-hacking investigation for the first time in March last year when detectives arrested four journalists in dawn raids.