HYPNOTIST Paul McKenna has spoken out after his former fiancée accused him becoming trapped in a ‘downward spiral’ of addictions to cocaine, alcohol and pills.
The self-help guru said former model Clare Staples was a ‘greedy woman’ who had tried to extort money from him through the courts.
The author of bestselling book I Can Make You Thin has finally reached a settlement with Staples following a bitter legal battle.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday McKenna, 52, said: “I can only believe it was extortion – pure and simple, based on her wish to destroy me. I consider that her actions were based on greed, spite and jealousy.
“But in the end she had to back down because we had the evidence to prove she was lying.”
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In court papers filed in the US, Staples argued that his erratic and volatile behaviour had started to impact negatively on his career.
But McKenna, whose celebrity clients have included David Beckham and Robbie Williams strongly denied the allegations and countersued in London’s High Court.
He said: “It feels like someone has ripped my heart out. It will take a very long time and all my skills to trust like that again.”
The pair had been in a personal and professional relationship for nearly 25 years until 2013.
Paul – who is now married to his personal assistant Kate Davey - insists he has not touched drugs since his college days when he smoked ‘a couple’ of joints.
He said her allegations were “so ludicrous that I have no doubt they would have been thrown out of court, but in the meantime the damage to my reputation and my business would have been done”.
Paul - who found fame in the US after hypnotising talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to give up cigarettes in front of a live audience- denies being an alcoholic or addicted to drugs or sex.
He said: “Look, I admit that I got very down after my father died in 2011 and was drinking more than I should, but in no way was I knocking back alcohol at 11am.”
Staples said last night: “I stand by every allegation in my complaint, which was supported by a mountain of evidence.”
Her lawyer, Howard Weitzman, added: “The evidence overwhelmingly supported Clare’s claims in the Los Angeles action, which is presumably why McKenna agreed to a lucrative settlement just seven weeks before the Los Angeles trial was set to begin.”
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