LADY McCARTNEY returned to the offices of her lawyers, Mishcon de Reya, yesterday as it emerged that a self-help book she wrote may contradict allegations contained in leaked divorce papers that her husband abused her.

One of the more bizarre allegations contained in the leaked documents is that Sir Paul McCartney refused to allow her to get up in the morning before he was also ready. But in the book published by Lady McCartney this year she says that she regularly rises early to gain “me time”.

As the couple appear to be heading for the most public divorce in recent legal history, lawyers for Sir Paul are reported to be studying the book, Life Balance, in which she writes: “As a working wife and mother I have learnt that setting the alarm 30 minutes earlier each morning can make all the difference. It allows me a little bit of personal space before the day begins.

“I organise everything for breakfast the night before so that I can get it ready without a panic and we can eat together as a family.”

In the court papers her legal team claims: “The Petitioner [Sir Paul] refused to allow the Respondent [Lady McCartney] to get out of bed in the morning even though she would wake up early and wish to use the time for essential physiotherapy for her leg and to attend to e-mails and administrative tasks before the staff arrived or their child woke up.”

The papers are Lady McCartney’s response to Sir Paul’s petition seeking a divorce on the ground of her “unreasonable behaviour”. They were leaked to the press and accuse Sir Paul of being abusive and violent during their four-year marriage.

Sir Paul’s lawyers are also studying media interviews given by Lady McCartney, the former model Heather Mills, that appear to contradict her leaked allegations.

In the court papers, Lady McCartney complains that she was “expected to prepare two dinners every night, one for the child of the family and one for the Petitioner”, adding: “The Petitioner did not like the Respondent to be assisted in the preparation of his meals, despite her disability.”

But in an interview with Michael Parkinson in 2003, she praises her husband for “bringing me breakfast in bed every morning, no matter how he feels. And I do the dinner, so we’ve got that agreement. It’s thoughtfulness.”

In another development, it was reported yesterday that Lady McCartney hit her first husband. Her former sister-in-law, Diana Karmal, told newspapers that she saw Lady McCartney slap Alfie Karmal during a row.

It was also claimed in newspapers yesterday that Sir Paul has been consulting a psychiatrist. A source close to the musician is quoted as saying: “He has been advised to open up about his feelings as much as he can with his children and remain as upbeat as possible under the circumstances.”

If the divorce becomes a contested hearing — which is extremely rare — it would be held in public, attracting worldwide coverage.

However, the consensus among lawyers is that the allegations are not serious enough to influence any settlement.

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