Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that John Lennon "instigated" the break-up of The Beatles in 1970 by announcing that he was quitting the group.
The best-selling music act of all time, the Fab Four went their separate ways after a prolific 10-year period - although the exact reasons behind the split have always been a point of contention.
"I didn't instigate the split. That was our Johnny," McCartney told the BBC. "I am not the person who instigated the split.
"Oh no, no, no. John walked into a room one day and said 'I am leaving The Beatles'. And he said, 'It's quite thrilling, it's rather like a divorce.' And then we were left to pick up the pieces."
He continued: "The point of it really was that John was making a new life with Yoko [Ono] and he wanted... to lie in bed for a week in Amsterdam for peace. You couldn't argue with that. It was the most difficult period of my life.
"This was my band, this was my job, this was my life. I wanted it to continue. I thought we were doing some pretty good stuff - Abbey Road, Let It Be, not bad - and I thought we could continue."
McCartney's revealing interview will air in full on Radio 4's This Cultural Life on October 23.
Neil Wilkes
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