Leslie could return to Five after talks with Wright firm

The move is being seen as an attempt by Princess Productions, the TV production company that is behind Wright's morning chat show, to stave off legal action from Leslie, who was last week cleared of any charges after the key witness in the trial came forward with "unforeseeable" new information.

It was reported over the weekend that the woman whose case the Crown Prosecution service had rested around claimed to be the victim of two other sex assaults, but had only reported the one involving Leslie.

The CPS's fear was that in court she would be accused by the defence of taking only the charge against Leslie forward because he was a celebrity.

Reports suggest the approach by Princess could lead to Leslie dropping the legal action he is considering. However, representatives have dismissed the idea that they have anything to do with the legal action as speculation, according to a report in The Sunday Telegraph.

Leslie is represented by Taylor Herring PR, the same company that handles Matthew Wright, a fact that has added weight to suggestions that the talks are linked to averting a potential lawsuit.

Leslie's lawyers are expected to name the individuals and organisations he is going to sue next week.

The list is thought to include Wright, Princess and Granada Television, which is said to have sacked him over the allegations.

Last week it was reported that Leslie was in talks with Sky about a £1m TV deal, but the negotiations are understood to have collapsed at the end of last week.

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This article was first published on brandrepublic.com