When it comes to airing details of his divorce, Paul McCartney wants to let it be—even if the media won't.
Despite the increasingly damning claims leveled against the former Beatle by his estranged wife Heather Mills McCartney, the legendary singer says he doesn't hold any grudges against his ex-missus and will continue to conduct himself with "a certain dignity."
"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," he told BBC Radio 4's Today show Friday. "When you are going through difficulties, I think the thing to do for the sake of all the people all 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.
"You will put less noses out of joint, and I think it is a more dignified way to go about it, so that's what I try to do."
The 64-year-old spoke out at the premiere of his fourth classical composition, Ecce Cor Meum (Behold my Heart), at London's Royal Albert Hall, where he was accompanied by his designer daughter Stella and her husband.
The media's hyper-intense scrutiny of the McCartneys' demise has been rampant since the duo announced plans to divorce last May but has been even more aggressive in the past few weeks.
Last month, the knighted singer and his estranged wife were splashed across the headlines when supposedly private court papers purportedly filed by Mills McCartney were leaked to the press. The 13-page deposition chronicled allegations of both physical and mental abuse at the hands of the former Beatle, all of which McCartney denied, saying he would "vigorously" defend himself in the proper arena: the courtroom, not the newsstand.
For her part, Mills McCartney has filed suit against the tabloids that published the document, claiming it was falsified.
Last week, audio tapes of his late wife, Linda, also surfaced, spawning headlines that called into question the picture-perfect nature of their relationship. While friends and family have rushed to defend the honor of the union, over the weekend, the Daily Mail reported that McCartney bought the tapes from Linda's former literary agent, Peter Cox, for roughly $400,000.
Still, despite the increasingly invasive and lurid coverage of the divorce saga, the "Hard Day's Night" singer said he was optimistic it would die down in time.
"For me, I have always been optimistic—I have always found that something will happen," he said. "Life goes on. I do not hold grudges against anyone. I don't blame anyone for the sadnesses that have happened to me. I am sad about them because it would be stupid to be otherwise.
"I think life goes on, and it is what you make of it, so I am pretty optimistic."
And, personal life aside, for good reason.
McCartney's Ecce Cor Meum, inspired by Linda, has received critical praise and is the work he credits with being his "cathartic" way of returning to the music scene.