Sam Faiers, a former reality star, paid a fine of £100,000 after a sour controversy with a hair extension company that she used to represent.
Faiers, who used to star in The Only Way is Essex, settled fines at court earlier this week after a lengthy, three-year battle with Additional Lengths, a company manufacturing hair extensions. Faiers has been raking in £4.2 million since gaining fame from the reality show and her transformation into being a fitness expert, but the star had to take a hefty amount out of those savings so she can be cleared of any charges.
Back in 2011, Faiers was paid by Additional Lengths £12,500 to be the brand's ambassador. However, Faiers was far from being an ambassador by praising another product that was considered a rival of Additional Lengths. Three months after signing a deal with the company, the reality star used her Twitter account to hype the rival product.
After her actions, Faiers quickly sent her apologies to the company. However, the star did not live up to her role as an ambassador after the apology, since she wrote another tweet that tarnished the brand's name. The star said that the product actually damages or "ruins" a woman's real hair.
The star did feel that the company would sue her over her comments, which is why she issued another apology and even called herself 'naïve.' Faier's management offered to pay for the product's re-launching that included a photo shoot and a party.
The reality star did another contract faux pas when she was photographed getting her own extensions done in a salon that was a direct competition of Additional Lengths. The company saw this act as the "final straw" of the continuous breach of contract and the owner of the salon, Victoria Lynch, decided to pursue court proceedings, The Sun reports.
After a three year case, the actress has agreed to pay the company £50,00 as fine and another £50,000 on costs.
"We could have had an ambassador who actually did their job and made us bigger than ever," said Lynch to TV Biz, as reported by Metro.
