Sir Philip Green paid a female employee more than £1m to keep quiet after she accused him of kissing and groping her, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

The paper said the senior female employee was one of five members of staff who signed gagging orders after being bullied or harassed.

It reported a black male executive also received £1m after Sir Philip said he was “throwing spears in the jungle”.

The Topshop boss denies allegations he behaved wrongly.

Lawyers representing Sir Philip told the Telegraph that he was a “passionate businessman, who can at times be over-exuberant and hot-headed” and that he could be “perceived at times as aggressive with senior and trusted staff”.

Sir Philip’s lawyers added: “It is further denied that any of Sir Philip’s conduct towards employees amounted to any type of crime, or anything that would amount to gross misconduct, or a serious risk to health and safety.”

The billionaire had previously used an injunction to stop the paper from publishing the allegations six months ago.

But the paper continued fighting a legal battle against the billionaire, and on Friday his action against the paper was formally ended by a High Court judge.