AUF Wiedersehen Pet star Jimmy Nail won £30,000 libel damages yesterday over false claims about his sexual behaviour and allegations of greed and prima donna tendencies.

But the 50-year-old Geordie actor is facing a costs bill estimated at £200,000 because he refused an offer totalling £37,500 to settle the case last year. That issue was adjourned to a later date.

Mr Nail was not at London's High Court but his legal team said he was "very happy" with the result of his action against News Group Newspapers and Harper Collins Publishers.

He had sued over an article in the News Of The World, in May 2002, and a 1998 biography of him by Geraint Jones, which was entitled Nailed. In both cases, unqualified offers of amends had been made and accepted, involving apologies which accepted that the material complained of was defamatory and untrue.

But Mr Justice Eady, sitting without a jury, had to assess the level of damages, which Mr Nail had claimed should be between £70,000 and £100,000. He ruled that News Group should pay £22,500 and Harper Collins £7,500.

Mr Nail described in evidence how he felt when he was confronted at his local newsagent with the headline "Auf Wiedersehen Jimmy's secret bondage orgies".

He said that sitting down and attempting to explain this "inexplicable, disgraceful, disgusting article" to his partner, Miriam, and their two sons, Tom, 17, and Fred, 14, was one "of the worst experiences of my life".

Adrienne Paige QC, for the defendants, expressed their complete acceptance that the allegations were untrue, and their sincere apologies.

But she questioned the extent of the damage to his reputation and standing.

In his judgement, Mr Justice Eady said there was no doubt that the allegations had caused distress and embarrassment but that there was no hard evidence that his career had been affected.