It’s a Hard Day’s Night being married to and divorcing a Beatle, Heather Mills has said.

The former model said it was "easier to cope with" losing a leg than marrying a Beatle.

Mills, who lost her leg after she was hit by a police motorbike two decades ago, said it is "very hard to be married to a Beatle".

As she prepares to appear on Channel 4's daredevil winter sports show The Jump, Ms Mills who used to live in Portslade and owns vegan restaurant VBites in Brighton’s East Street said: "Linda had it tough, Yoko had it tough and what happened to me after the divorce... losing my leg was easier to cope with."

She said she married Sir Paul McCartney, who lives in Peasmarsh near Rye, because she was "completely in love with him", adding: "But anyone who thinks marrying a rock legend is going to be paradise... it just isn't."

She added that she never saw losing her leg was in any way losing her femininity, telling the Mail on Sunday’s Event magazine: "I think I am very sexy. I'm very confident as a woman and there isn't a part of my body I'm not happy with."

She added: "I'm not embarrassed about my leg - in fact a good chat-up line from me is, 'How do you fancy massaging my stump?.

"Even now, I'm 47 and if I see a hot man I know I can have him. I might not want him but I can have him."