Paul McCartney has gotten personal in the latest issue of his website column, “You Gave Me the Answer.”
Asked what he considers his “role” as a father and a husband, he says, “I would say that being a father and being a husband are two completely different things.
“As far as being a dad is concerned, I’ve always just tried to give my kids a bit of guidance, if they seem to need it — but that was mainly when they were younger. Now that they are older, they’re guiding me! They don’t need so much guidance these days but if there’s ever a problem, I’m very happy to be the guy they come to.
“So, that’s largely the thing of being a dad. You’re just there to help, and I suppose have fun with — we do have a lot of fun. Now they’re older we can have a drink together, for instance!”
Paul has three children with his first wife Linda — Mary, Stella and James, plus Heather from Linda’s first marriage. And he has a daughter, Beatrice, with his second wife, Heather Mills.
He adds that his role as a husband is “just trying to be good to my wife Nancy and trying to be considerate and romantic. I completely overdo Valentine’s Day! I mean, there’s not just one card, there are cards hidden around the room, and sometimes things even spill into the next day — it’s completely silly. If there’s an excuse to have some fun, I overdo it! At Christmas, I go crazy with the tree lights and fairy lights — totally overdo it.
“I try to be helpful as a husband too. If there’s a problem, I like to be the guy that will lend some strength to it. I’m always very happy to be the person Nancy relies on, and to be her strength when she goes through tough times. I am very proud, in fact, to be ‘The Guy’ there. And I know she is grateful. So, that’s my role as a husband: It’s to be the strength and the romance at the same time. I don’t think I consciously chose to be that way. It’s just how I do things.”
Paul and Nancy started dating in 2007 and married in 2011.
REUTERS PHOTO
