All you need is love...a ruthless lawyer, and a willingness to call your wife a hooker.

On the positive side, she was called a high-priced hooker.

The Times of India: Goodbye to violent McCartney, says Heather Mills

Former Beatle Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills has reportedly accused the iconic musician of violence, murderous excess, sexual chauvinism, alcoholism and drug-taking throughout the course of their brief and ill-starred marriage, in the latest, ugliest twist in their divorce battle.

Yo, Paulie! Exactly how did your first wife die?

In a series of extraordinary allegations filed in the divorce papers, which quickly found their way into a British tabloid newspaper, Mills, a former model half McCartney's age, accused McCartney of attacking her four times, trying to choke her and behaving in an altogether "vindictive, punitive manner".

Mills, who has retained the late Princess Diana's expensive divorce lawyer to try and claim the largest chunk possible of the former Beatle's estimated one-billion-pound fortune, claimed the singer was "physically violent" and tried to stab her with a broken wine glass, refused to let her breast-feed their daughter and forced the one-legged anti-landmine campaigner her to cancel an operation since it conflicted with his vacation plans.

The vicious allegations prompted a furious denial from sources quoted to be close to McCartney even though his official spokesman refused to comment.

The sources said McCartney was "absolutely furious. He only ever cared for her". They added that the singer "denies the claims completely and cannot believe he would ever be accused of such behaviour". Even as the war of the McCartneys was played out through Britain's notoriously unbuttoned tabloids, sections of the music industry said Mills' allegations could lead the former Beatle to lose more than just a large slab of his fortune.

McCartney, whose squeaky-clean image inspires adoration and admiration in equal parts among people of all ages right the way across the world, is thought to have constantly traded on the high-value stock of his standing as a family man, outspoken vegetarian, animal rights activist, good Samaritan, supporter of charity work and downbeat, unassuming charm.

But, observers said, the allegations levelled at the 64-year-old by his second wife, just six months after they announced their separation, citing constant media attention as detrimental to a harmonious relationship, may take at least some of the gloss off his image unless he works hard to counter them.