'My girl is no Yoko Ono'

Mick Jagger with L'Wren Scott: not causing a rift

11 April 2012

Sir Mick Jagger has hit out over reports that his girlfriend has caused a rift within the Rolling Stones.

The group's frontman took the unprecedented step of issuing a statement denying recent claims that L'Wren Scott, his partner of four years, has been criticising other members of the band.

Miss Scott, a 6ft 4in former model turned stylist, allegedly tried to make Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards give up smoking and questioned their choice of clothing.

Sir Mick, 62, said: "It is completely untrue to say that L'Wren has caused a rift between myself and the rest of the band.

"This is all nonsense. Everyone has their own style. We have not had any disagreements about clothes, smoking or L'Wren, and this is all very hurtful for her."

Music industry observers believe Sir Mick would not normally respond to such reports with an official statement - prompting speculation that it was Miss Scott, 38, who put pressure on him to quash the rumours.

Among the details in the original report in the Daily Mail was the claim that she was so unpopular in the Stones' camp she had been nicknamed "the new Yoko Ono" - a reference to John Lennon's wife, who was accused of breaking up the Beatles through her domineering manner.

This is the first time she has accompanied Jagger on tour. The A Bigger Bang tour is scheduled to last at least another year. At 17, Miss Scott, who was brought up a Mormon near Salt Lake City, ran away from home to Paris where she became a model and changed her name from Laura Bambrough to L'Wren.

A source quoted in the report earlier this week said she had been "throwing her weight around". The source said: "She has been poking her nose into places it really does not belong and it has been getting a lot of people's backs up."

Sir Mick insisted his girlfriend was close to all the other wives and girlfriends of the band. "L'Wren would not dream of interfering with a band who have been on the road for 40 years," he said. "In fact the band, their wives and girlfriends are all getting along extremely well."

A spokesman for the singer said it was "very unprecedented" for him to speak out in defence of his girlfriend. "Mick feels very aggrieved that most of this is untrue," he said.

Wood's wife Jo also rebuffed the rumours and denied trying to get her husband to give up smoking.

"Ronnie is the only one who can stop himself from smoking," she said. "No one can tell him to stop. Me and L'Wren went together to stop smoking in Boston three years ago. It's ridiculous about the clothes. Ronnie has the same look which he has had forever and that's not about to change.

"L'Wren did give some wonderful jackets to Ronnie that I loved and I told her if she found anything else I'd love to see them. L'Wren has got great taste, is fantastic company and is just one of the girls on tour."

Michael Cohl, the Rolling Stones tour manager, added: "There is no friction between band members about their health, image or what they wear on stage. It is nonsense to even think that what the band wear for their shows at this point in their career is even a talking point. There isn't any malice towards L'Wren from any of the Rolling Stones."

MORE ABOUT

Keith Richards

Ron Wood

Stylists

The Rolling Stones

'My girl is no Yoko Ono'

Read More