FOOTBALL stars and super models are happy enough to pick up the ludicrously fat pay cheques which accompany their fame.

So when these so-called role models are exposed as liars, cheats and hypocrites, their howls of protest about consequent publicity sticks in the throat.

Late last week, we had Naomi Campbell winning her privacy case against The Daily Mirror on a technicality, despite a judge saying he was confident she had lied on oath about her drug-taking.

Perjury is a serious enough offence to have seen the likes of Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken deservedly locked up, so it's hard to have much sympathy for a lying catwalk celebrity.

And today, the identity is revealed of the Premiership footballer who has been embroiled in a desperate legal battle with the Sunday People to avoid his name being publicised over his adultery with a nurse and a lap dancer.

The rumours over who the player was have been circulating for months. Several innocent stars have been the subject of those rumours, but the real name has long been known to the privileged few in the media, and inevitably passed on to relatives and friends.

The gagging order, preventing publication of the name of what tabloid newspapers like to call a "love rat", had therefore become ridiculous and damaging to others.

In truth, the name of Garry Flitcroft will come as an anti-climax to many. "Garry who?" has been a common reaction. Mr Flitcroft is hardly a household name.

Of course, public figures are entitled to private lives. But they give up that right when they show flagrant contempt for honesty. Deceit deserves to be laid bare.

Garry Flitcroft has used his wealth to fight like a cornered animal to save his skin. If he'd had the guts to be honest with his wife a year ago, he might just have clung on to his marriage - and saved himself £200,000 in legal costs.

No doubt he'll recoup some of his losses by selling his side of the sordid story to a rival Sunday tabloid in a damage limitation exercise tomorrow.