Campbell tries to heal rift with Cherie

Alastair Campbell has tried to heal his bitter rift with Cherie Blair with an impassioned defence of her life and work.

In an extraordinary outburst, the former Downing Street spin doctor hit out at critics of the Prime Minister's wife - accusing them of failing to recognise the pressure she is under.

He said: "I think Cherie is a really, really, really nice woman. I think the way she somehow manages to juggle wife and mother, and barrister and author and charity person ... I think she does pretty well."

Relations between the pair have been strained since the so-called Cheriegate affair, when she failed to tell him the full truth about her attempts to obtain discounts on the purchase of two Bristol flats. His partner Fiona Millar, her press aide, also left Downing Street amid recriminations. They both grew frustrated by Mrs Blair's relationship with lifestyle guru Carole Caplin.