Maverick entertainer Chris Evans has agreed to pay seven million pounds to the owners of Virgin Radio after losing his High Court battle for unfair dismissal.
Scottish Media Group said in a statement on Monday they had reached an agreement with Evans, who was branded a "prima donna" last month by a judge ruling that SMG had been entitled to sack him.
He had sought 2.5 million pounds in damages for unfair dismissal and said SMG owed him shares worth up to 8.6 million pounds.
Evans, 37, was sacked in June 2001 after he missed six consecutive shows amid tabloid newspaper reports he had been seen drinking in pubs with his teenage pop star wife Billie Piper.
However in a recent newspaper interview Evans shrugged off the cost, saying it was "only money"
"I still have it in the bank," he told the News of the World. "I don't miss any sleep over it. I can afford to lose it."
He also agreed with many of the judge's remarks.
"Yes I get drunk, who doesn't? I can be petulant and a prima donna. So what? That's why I'm successful. It's called being creative."
The media mogul had told the court he missed work because he was genuinely ill.
With his ginger hair and fast-talking style, Evans became one of the country's best known entertainers in the 1990s.
He first came to fame when presenting Channel 4's popular "Big Breakfast" and the game show "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush," before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1995.
He returned to TV a year later with the boisterous "TFI Friday", a mix of live music and celebrity guests, before joining Virgin Radio in 1997.
Evans became a multi-millionaire in 2000 when he sold his Ginger Media Company, which included the Virgin Radio franchise, for 225 million pounds.
Scottish Media Group said in a statement on Monday they had reached an agreement with Evans, who was branded a "prima donna" last month by a judge ruling that SMG had been entitled to sack him.
He had sought 2.5 million pounds in damages for unfair dismissal and said SMG owed him shares worth up to 8.6 million pounds.
Evans, 37, was sacked in June 2001 after he missed six consecutive shows amid tabloid newspaper reports he had been seen drinking in pubs with his teenage pop star wife Billie Piper.
However in a recent newspaper interview Evans shrugged off the cost, saying it was "only money"
"I still have it in the bank," he told the News of the World. "I don't miss any sleep over it. I can afford to lose it."
He also agreed with many of the judge's remarks.
"Yes I get drunk, who doesn't? I can be petulant and a prima donna. So what? That's why I'm successful. It's called being creative."
The media mogul had told the court he missed work because he was genuinely ill.
With his ginger hair and fast-talking style, Evans became one of the country's best known entertainers in the 1990s.
He first came to fame when presenting Channel 4's popular "Big Breakfast" and the game show "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush," before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1995.
He returned to TV a year later with the boisterous "TFI Friday", a mix of live music and celebrity guests, before joining Virgin Radio in 1997.
Evans became a multi-millionaire in 2000 when he sold his Ginger Media Company, which included the Virgin Radio franchise, for 225 million pounds.
