Paul and Heather apart

Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are spending increasing amounts of time apart after a string of rows.

The couple rubbished Press reports at the weekend that claimed their three-year marriage was on the rocks.

But Sir Paul left his wife at their home in Hove, East Sussex, this week to travel to the South of France.

Miss Mills, 37, spent last week there alone as well while her 63-year-old husband shuttled between London and their farm, also in East Sussex.

Friends of the couple said the time apart showed how strained their relationship had become.

One said: 'They have been rowing constantly recently. Heather has been recovering from an operation to her leg, which has particularly got her down. That has put her at a really low ebb and she has been taking much of her frustration out on Paul.

'But there is a more deep-seated resentment there.

'She is angry that he gets so much adulation from fans and is one of the most famous people on the planet, while she feels she should get just as much respect for being a model and campaigner.

'She is a very headstrong woman - something which first attracted Paul to her. But the downside is that she feels she should be seen as just as big a star as her husband.'

Sir Paul was staying at an exclusive hotel on the French border with Monaco. He emerged to go for a walk and then to enjoy a small glass of lager at a bar.

The former Beatle also broke off a mobile phone conversation to shake hands with fans.

The couple's friend added: 'It is extremely significant for the marriage that they have decided the situation is so bad that they are spending time apart. This is essentially a business trip for Paul, but questions have been asked about the amount of time they are spending apart when one might expect Paul to be at her beck and call while she is in so much pain.

'You must remember that apart from the nine days he spent in a Japanese jail on drug charges, Paul was never apart from his first wife Linda.'

Miss Mills - who lost a leg after being hit by a motorcycle in 1993 - said at the weekend that she had gone into hiding from paparazzi trying to photograph her in a wheelchair after her operation. In a statement she said: 'We have only just got back together from Los Angeles, where Paul was recording and I had my operation.