Sir Paul McCartney has defended his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr's decision not to sign autographs.
Starr was widely criticised in October after he told fans to stop sending him memorabilia because he was too busy.
In a video message on his website, Starr said anything sent after October 20th would be “tossed”
McCartney told reporters in London that the drummer had taken the decision because it was “his life”
“Ringo’s always been like that, God bless him. We love Ringo because he just says what he thinks. If he doesn’t want to sign anything anymore then he doesn’t have to,” McCartney said.
“And yeah, he gets in trouble occasionally, but as anyone who has known Ringo as long as I have knows that’s what he’s like. I think it’s a good quality; it’s called honesty actually."
As previously reported on Gigwise, Starr unveiled a competition in the wake of the controversy where fans could win a signed drum head.
CLICK HERE for a full feature with Sir Paul McCartney.
(The rare Beatles shots appear courtesy of theCBS’ exhibition, which is on display at the Beatles Story until November.)
You can keep up to date with all the latest news from Gigwise by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.

Dave Grohl: The Beatles Were A Huge Influence On Nirvana
Arctic Monkeys' Matt Helders To Remix Paul Weller Single
A$AP Rocky Announces Second London Show - Tickets
Beyonce Starts Work On New Album
Paul McCartney: I Often Think 'Was I Really In The Beatles?' Bloody Hell
Abbey Road Studios Set To Open To The Public
Use A Condom This Valentines Day: Musicians And Their 'Love Child'
What Came First, The Music Or The Misery? The Anti-Valentine's Day Playlist
From Whitney Houston to Michael Jackson: Grammy Awards Most Memorable Moments Ever 
~ by Jeremy 12/2/2008 Report
~ by Aaron 5/6/2009 Report