Rebel Wilson wins record £2.7m libel payout

The Pitch Perfect star was awarded a total of $4.6m (£2.7m) in damages from Bauer Media in Australia over articles that claimed she had lied about her age and real name, and fabricated childhood events.

The payout is thought to be the highest ever awarded for defamation in an Australian court.

It was largely based on roles and earnings lost by the actress, who testified in frequently emotional court appearances that she had been sacked from the Dream Works productions Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3 as a result of the articles.

It comes after a jury of six returned unanimous verdicts in favour of Wilson in June.

Justice John Dixon said the payout was necessary to “vindicate” Wilson after her reputation as an “actress of integrity was wrongly damaged”.

Bauer Media said it was considering the judgment. It had previously branded the damages claim “extraordinarily large” and on the “most tenuous of basis”.

The stories appeared in Women’s Day Australia, Australian Women’s Weekly, NW and OK Magazine in 2015.

Wilson has previously said she will donate the money won in the case to charity, a scholarship or the Australian film industry

Following the case, she tweeted from the UK that she would be reviewing the ruling with her lawyers before making a statement.

The actress rose to prominence with her roles in comedies including Bridesmaids.