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McCartney sees psychiatrist over breakup

‘It’s not a bad idea to have someone to talk to’ says the former Beatle

BRITAIN MCCARTNEY DIVORCE
Mark Lennihan / AP
Paul McCartney speaks to the press as his wife, Heather Mills, looks on at the United Nations Association of the USA awards dinner in New York, in this Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2002 file photo. McCartney has seen a psychiatrist for help since the breakup of his marriage in May, he said Friday, Dec. 1.
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updated 7:07 p.m. ET Dec. 1, 2006

LONDON - Paul McCartney said Friday that he’s seen a psychiatrist for help since the breakup of his marriage in May.

McCartney, 64, and Heather Mills McCartney, 38, announced their separation in May after four years of marriage and began divorce proceedings in July. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

Mills McCartney has threatened to sue at least three British newspapers that published disparaging claims about her husband, alleged to have been contained in divorce court papers drawn up on her behalf.

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In an interview with Britain’s Radio Times magazine, the former Beatle said he had sought solace in writing music, but had been helped by professional psychiatric counseling.

“You can be in an argument, or feeling down, and if you’re lucky enough to be able to write, you go into a corner and work your way through the emotions,” McCartney told the magazine in comments published Friday.

“Instead of sitting down with a psychiatrist, you sing ‘I’ve been feeling bad’,” he said.

However, the singer acknowledged that on other occasions he had turned to psychiatrist help.

“It’s not a bad idea to have someone to talk to. It’s normally over family matters,” McCartney said.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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