The trial of Kieran Hayler, the former husband of media personality Katie Price, is continuing at Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex, where he faces three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Hayler, 39, denies all of the charges. The allegations relate to incidents said to have taken place in West Sussex between June and October 2016 involving a girl who was 13 at the time and is now 23. The complainant cannot be identified for legal reasons and has been supported by specially trained officers.

This week the court heard testimony from the complainant's mother, who described her daughter's alleged interactions with Hayler during the period in question. The witness told the jury that Hayler had told the teenager she could be his best friend because he had few friends of his own, and recounted her daughter expressing a preference for the way he spoke to her.

The mother was questioned about the timeline of the disclosures. She told the court she had initially kept the allegations confidential to preserve her daughter's trust and to protect her from the consequences of the information becoming public, and said she had believed her daughter's account from the outset.

Under cross-examination, defence barrister Arlette Piercy asked the witness about possible external influences, including the involvement of Katie Price. The mother firmly denied that Price had played any role in her decision to give evidence or attend court. She also rejected suggestions that her daughter had been motivated by a desire for fame, despite references to text messages in which Price was said to have offered to help the young woman become a little star.

Jurors have been told that Katie Price herself is expected to be called as a witness during the proceedings. Judge Mark Van Der Zwart described Price to the jury as a media personality they were likely to have heard of.

Hayler met Price in 2012 and proposed on Christmas Day that year. The couple married at a luxury resort in the Caribbean in 2013 before the relationship ended. A representative for Hayler has previously said he strongly denies the allegations in their entirety, that he cooperated with the police investigation and that he looked forward to clearing his name through the judicial process.

The allegations remain unproven, and Hayler is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until he is found guilty. The trial is ongoing.