Celebrity endorsements gone wrong

With the news that Prince's fragrance deal has perhaps gone awry, a look at other celebrity endorsements that didn't work out quite right.

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Following the news that Prince could be made to fork out US$4 million (Dh14.7m) for failing to promote his 3121 fragrance, we consider other celebrity endorsements that went sour.

Take Five... The Olsen Twins

"Got Milk?" asked the advertising campaign fronted by the Olsens in 2004. Unfortunately, for Mary-Kate the answer was probably "no", as she soon checked into a treatment facility for a "health-related issue" that turned out to be anorexia.

Take Four... Hulk Hogan

Poor Hulk. Not only is his former wife engaged to someone the same age as his son, but he missed out on one of the celebrity products of the century. Hulk claimed that he was first choice to become the face of George Foreman's Lean Mean Grilling Machine, but he missed the call from his agent.

Take Three... Michael Jackson

Probably the most famous celebrity endorsement incident, Jacko suffered severe burns when he stepped too close to some pyrotechnics while filming an ad for Pepsi in the 1980s. The subsequent hospital treatment kicked off his frequent visits for that "rare skin complaint".

Take Two... Martina Hingis

Back in 1996, when Hingis was really good, she had a five-year, multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with tennis gear maker Sergio Tacchini. Sadly, a few years later, Hingis sued Tacchini, claiming that its shoes were defective and the source of her 1998 injuries. Whoops.

Take One... Madonna

All seemed rosy between Madge and Pepsi in 1989 after a $5m deal saw her track Like a Prayer made its debut as a Pepsi commercial. The next week, however, Madonna's own, rather family-unfriendly video version of the track aired on MTV. Threatened with a boycott, Pepsi quickly pulled the plug.