A BOLTON businessman facing a boardroom ban with Grant Bovey has spoken out to defend Anthea Turner's new husband.

Co-director John Doyle from Westhoughton was involved in a failed businessmen venture with Mr Bovey.

Government trade officials want to ban the pair and another director Anthony Johnson from becoming company directors. They now face a courtroom battle in Bolton in December.

But former Thornleigh Salesian College pupil John Doyle believes they are all victims of Mr Bovey's new found fame and said: "I feel gutted for him."

Businessman Mr Bovey left his wife after a high profile affair with TV presenter Anthea Turner and the celebrity couple married two weeks ago in blaze of publicity.

But it backfired when they were accused of cashing in after being pictured eating a new chocolate bar at the wedding.

Mr Doyle believes the liquidation of their company, Northstar Multimedia Ltd, which collapsed two years ago with debts of £75,000, would have gone unnoticed if it wasn't for Grant Bovey's involvement.

"I believe the reason it has come to this is because of his notoriety," he said from his new home in Manchester.

"In the overall scheme of things it is a very, very small liquidation and if Grant Bovey had not been involved in some shape or form, it would not have come to this. I think it's despicable the way he has been singled out in this way.

"During the past year businesses have gone bust in Bolton for a lot more than £75,000 without anybody twitching an eyebrow -- but they did not have the Grant Bovey name."

Despite the high profile legal action which is bound to attract a media circus when it is heard in Bolton County Court this December, Mr Doyle does not regret getting doing business with Mr Bovey.

Mr Bovey agreed to invest in the business idea after a chance meeting with John Doyle at a social following an amateur football match in the South of England.

Mr Doyle said: "At the time he was a nobody. He was still with his previous wife and nobody had heard of him."

Both Mr Doyle and Mr Bovey, who has just returned from honeymoon with his TV presenter wife, have vowed to clear their name when the case comes to court.

Mr Bovey had resigned as a director by the time it went bust and Mr Doyle claims his involvement was as a non executive director only. Anthony Johnson could not be contacted.

Sources at the Department of Trade and Industry say they are taking action to disqualify all three directors because a report by liquidators which accuses them of misconduct.

The three could be disqualified for two to 15 years if the action is successful.

A spokesman for the DTI said he could not comment on Mr Doyle's comments. He said: "It is not fair it speculate before the trial."