Sam Faiers has been slapped with a £100,000 fine following a "nightmare" legal battle with a hair extension firm.
The former ‘TOWIE’ star – who has earnt an estimated £4.2 million since 2010 – became entangled in a bitter dispute with Additional Lengths after she broke her ambassadorial contract with the firm by promoting a rival product in 2011.
Additional Lengths owner Victoria Lynch told The Sun newspaper: "The whole situation has been a nightmare. We could have had an ambassador who actually did their job and made us bigger than ever. Now we have to start a new marketing campaign."
The 25-year-old reality TV star, who was paid £12,500 to be the face of the brand, found herself in hot water just three months after she landed her deal in 2011 when she tweeted about hair extensions ruining girls’ real hair.
Additional Lengths threatened to take Sam to court over the claims but the war of words was later settled privately after her management claimed she had been "naive" and offered to relaunch the product with a funded photoshoot.
However, two weeks before the campaign was scheduled to be shot, Sam locked horns with the hair brand again when she was seen getting her ‘do done at a rival salon.
Victoria explained: "I don’t think Sam is as ‘naive’ as they make out — and now they have to part with a lot of money."
Victoria decided to take the dispute to court three years ago and, after a lengthy battle which saw Sam go through five teams of lawyers, the case was settled last week.