Harding wore a figure-hugging black trouser suit and white shirt as she entered the court in north London, flanked by two minders, her DJ boyfriend Mark One, and the celebrity solicitor Nick Freeman. 

The court heard she was pulled over in London’s West End on April 4th after her Range Rover swerved across the path of a police officer on a bike.

David Davies, prosecuting, said: “He saw she was using a mobile phone, pressed to her right ear. She said she was lost.”

Mr Freeman – known as Mr Loophole for his ability to get clients off motoring charges – said Harding had already been punished by negative publicity surrounding the case.

He said she needed a car for work and to visit her mother in Stockport. And he added: “Because she is high profile she would find it impossible to use public transport because of the attention she would attract. There would be massive inconvenience.”

But District Judge Nina Tempia told the star: “Mr Freeman is asking the court to deal with you as opposed to a normal person. Well, you are a normal person. I can see no reason why you shouldn’t be disqualified.”

The judge said it did not mean she would have to travel by train or bus, adding: “I’m thinking of you paying somebody to drive you.”

Harding, of Chalfont St Peters, Bucks, already had nine points on her licence from three speeding tickets. She was also ordered to pay a £500 fine, plus a £105 victim surcharge and costs.

She later said: “Too many people use their phones whilst driving. I made a mistake. I’ve learned my lesson.”