Ryan Giggs's PR advisers have scored an own goal

This was a story the world had heard before – successful, rich public figure has affair, gets found out. In the old days, it would have made a splash in a tabloid, we would have laughed at him and sympathised with his wife. The individual would publicly repent and, for most, the damage to their reputation was limited.

However, for reasons best known to himself, Giggs chose to get a super-injunction to stop the world knowing what he had done. Where were his PR advisers? Who told him that gagging the media would stop the story getting out? It's a beginner's error, believing that if you cover up, no-one will find out. Wrong – own up, move on.

To compound this spectacularly bad advice, it became known that he was considering suing Twitter and everyone who'd tweeted his name. It's this that's turned Giggs into a laughing stock, because 75,000 people took him on, retweeting his details globally.

Did no-one stop to point out to him that threatening to sue also confirmed the tweeters had the right name? Another unbelievable PR blunder.

If Giggs had put his hands up to the alleged indiscretion to a sympathetic newspaper or broadcaster, as Andrew Marr did, there would have been a few jokes. But I can guarantee the story would have died already. Instead, what he sought to protect – his future career – could be in jeopardy because of bad PR advice. It's those PR advisers, who've left him looking like a prize chump, who should be sued, not the public or press.

Is it too late for Ryan Giggs to come clean and start to restore his reputation? Perhaps not, the public might be prepared to forgive him the original sin. But will they be able to forgive him for the subsequent legal stand-off that exposed his arrogant belief that his behaviour is no business of theirs? It will take a serious, sustained and long-term PR effort to redeem Giggs, in the eyes of many, for that alone.

• Jacqui Low is managing director the Indigo public relations company