Fitness brand Gymshark faces a $1m court claim from a US influencer over claims it scrapped a lucrative sponsorship agreement after her pro-Israel views drew criticism online.

Alix Earle, who has 7m TikTok followers, has filed allegations against the British company at the High Court, arguing that it owes her $1m (£770,000) in damages for ending the deal early.

In court filings she claims that Gymshark agreed to pay her $1m for three TikTok posts featuring its brand and four on Instagram. The fee also covered a photo shoot and an event appearance.

Gymshark is understood to deny it signed a contract with Ms Earle. Lawyers for Ms Earle said they had also seen a letter from Gymshark, dated January 2024, in which it claimed Ms Earle had breached an agreement between the two parties.

As well as her TikTok fanbase, Ms Earle has more than 4m followers on Instagram. She rose to prominence in 2020 for her posts on make-up and fashion.

In the legal filings, her lawyers said she was “highly sought after” to promote brands on her social media page.