It went from amicable to acrimonious, and now a new 'a' word is surfacing in stories about the divorce between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney: abuse.
A shocking story published in British newspaper the Daily Mail alleges a court document filed by Mills McCartney contained claims that she was mistreated by the former Beatle and that he abused drugs and alcohol.
Lawyers for the singer said he'd strongly defend against the alleged accounts of physical abuse.
"Our client will be defending these allegations vigorously and appropriately," law firm Payne Hicks Beach, representing Paul McCartney, said in a statement.
The 64-year-old rocker and 38-year-old anti-landmine activist announced in May that they were planning to separate. As divorce proceedings began it was clear any civility that had existed between the two had eroded.
The newspaper didn't reveal the source of the document, which alleges McCartney had attacked his wife in the past with a broken wine glass, stabbing her in the arm and causing heavy bleeding. The submission also claimed the singer pushed his estranged wife into a bathtub when she was pregnant with their child. Their daughter Beatrice is now three years old.
A spokesperson for Mills McCartney, Phil Hall, wouldn't confirm whether the document quoted in the report was genuine. However, he did say his client had been "shocked" by the story.
Another, more bizarre element of the purported 13-page document had to do with McCartney's alleged objection of his wife's decision to breastfeed their daughter
The publication quoted the alleged submission as saying McCartney told the former model: "They are my breasts."
And the claims don't end there - other alleged incidents involve McCartney grabbing his wife's neck during a trip to the U.S. in 2003, pushing her over a coffee table in another occasion, and forcing her to cancel surgery because it got in the way of holiday plans.
Mills McCartney's law firm Mishcon de Reya wouldn't say anything about the document.
"Mills McCartney stands by everything that had been filed on court on her behalf and intends to prove its truth in due course should this be necessary," the law firm said.
As for McCartney, his law firm said in a statement that he'd wanted to respond to the allegations but recognized it was better to leave such things to the courts.
"Our client is saddened by the breakdown of his marriage and requests that his family is allowed to conduct their personal affairs out of the media spotlight for the sake of everybody involved," the statement added.