McCartney says divorce details must stay private

LONDON —  Paul McCartney said Saturday that he bears no grudge against his estranged second wife -- despite acrimonious divorce proceedings that have seen lurid allegations about their marriage reported across the world.

The 64-year-old former Beatle said the breakup -- seized on in Britain as the most high-profile split since Prince Charles and Princess Diana parted ways a decade ago -- had left him saddened but determined to act with dignity.

McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney, a 38-year-old anti-land-mine campaigner, announced their separation in May and began divorce proceedings in July. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

“There are certain things in life that are personal, and I think a relationship with a partner is intensely personal, and I prefer to keep it that way,” McCartney told BBC Radio.

“When you are going through difficulties, I think the thing to do for the sake of all the people concerned is to keep a certain dignity and remember that it is a private affair, and that way, you will probably get through it better,” he said.

McCartney said keeping details of the divorce private would “put less noses out of joint, and I think it is a more dignified way to go about it.”

Mills McCartney last month said she would take legal action against British newspapers that published disparaging claims about her husband, alleged to have been contained in divorce court papers drawn up for her.

McCartney’s lawyers said he would vigorously defend himself against allegations he had physically abused his second wife.

“I do not hold grudges, I don’t blame anyone for the sadnesses that have happened to me,” the singer said. “I think life goes on, and it is what you make of it, so I am pretty optimistic.”