McCartney daughter's marriage split

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Sir Paul McCartney's eldest daughter has separated from her husband of six years.

Mary McCartney, 35, has remained in the couple's home in West London with their two sons, Arthur, five, and Elliot, two.

Her husband, Alistair Donald, has moved into a house the couple recently bought on the other side of the capital.

Both are said to regard the separation as temporary.

According to a source close to them, Donald, a television producer, has found it difficult living in the shadow of the famous McCartney name.

Their marriage problems have also coincided with Miss McCartney's increased success as a photographer.

The couple have also been tackling a major renovation project at their new house in St John's Wood. 'Problems between Mary and Alistair started shortly after they commissioned work to be done on their new home,' a friend of Miss McCartney's said.

'They had planned to completely renovate the property and make it their new family home. But the cost of renovations has been extortionate and unbelievably problematic; they even had to get the house next door under-pinned. This has been a constant source of tension for the couple.

'To compound matters, Alistair has had problems with work and has been unable to establish himself as a television producer. In contrast, his wife's career has taken off. Amidst such a famous family, he has been plagued by feelings of inadequacy.

'But both Mary and Alistair are desperate to sort out their differences and neither view the split as a permanent thing.

'They hope to be reconciled if for nothing else, the sake of their two young children.'

The couple married in September 1998 at a 12th century church close to Sir Paul's estate at Peasmarsh, near Rye, East Sussex, where Miss McCartney grew up with her half sister Heather and sister Stella and brother James.

She came into the spotlight when she took the official portraits of Tony and Cherie Blair's youngest son, Leo, in May 2000.

Sir Paul, who married second wife Heather in 2002, is said to be 'devastated' at the breakup. A spokesman for Miss McCartney was unavailable for comment last night.

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