‘Quiet’ Beatle George Harrison was a red-blooded womaniser who almost split from his wife because of his wayward behaviour

Womaniser: George Harrison with his wife Olivia

He was affectionately known as ‘the quiet Beatle’.
But George Harrison was in fact a womaniser, whose love of the opposite sex almost ruined his 23-year-marriage, a new documentary has revealed.
In the upcoming film, directed by Martin Scorcese, former bandmate Paul McCartney claims the guitarist ‘liked the things that men like. He was red-blooded.’
Harrison’s widow, Olivia, admitted she often struggled with her wayward husband’s behaviour.
Sheclaims that although she and Harrison ‘seemed like partners from the very beginning’ their marriage survived a series of ‘hiccups’.
‘Hedid like women and women did like him,’ she says. ‘If he just said a couple of words to you it would have a profound effect. So it was hard to deal with someone who was so well loved.’
MissHarrison worked alongside Scorcese to produce private letters, journalsand unseen footage of the star for the film George Harrison: Living in aMaterial World, which has been made to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the star’s death. He died in November 2001, aged 58, following a long-battle with cancer.
It also features personal recollections from friends including Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton.
Harrisonearned a reputation as the most reserved character out of the Beatles, in contrast to John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr who were the more outspoken members of the Fab Four.
Butaccording to his widow, although her husband’s attitude towards women was ‘challenging’ she claims the couple felt an ‘incredible reward’ after overcoming their problems.

The Beatles: John Lennon, back left, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, front

Sheadded: ‘You go through challenges in your marriage and here is what I found: the first time we had a big hiccup in the road, we came through things, and then you go, ‘Wow!’ There is a reward at the end of it.’
‘There is this incredible reward because you have lived through more and you have let go of something.’
Bythe end, when her husband was ill, she admits she was glad that they had ‘worked this through together. Through all these things that came between us.’
She also reveals Harrison’s fury at John Lennon’s murder in 1980 by Mark Chapman.‘He was angry John did not have a chance to leave his body in a better way,’ she said.

Hiccups: Olivia and George had their ups and down but she feels delighted they were able to work through their problems

Love: George Harrison with his first wife Pattie Boyd in June 1975

In the film,which is being released in October and shown on the BBC later this year, Clapton also talks about how he felt consumed with envy as he fellin love with Pattie Boyd, Harrison’s first wife.
Claptonsaid: ‘I had become more and more obsessed with George’s wife, Pattie. To be honest there was a lot of swapping and fooling around.’
Itis the latest music documentary made by Oscar-winning director Scorsese. He has shot a history of the blues, a concert film of the Rolling Stones and an acclaimed movie of Bob Dylan.
RingoStarr is brought to tears on screen by the memory of his final conversation with Harrison who, dying in a Swiss hospital bed, still managed a bleak joke. Starr had to leave because his daughter was undergoing emergency brain surgery in Los Angeles.

Rock on: The late George Harrison pictured performing at the Prince's Trust concert in 1988

‘George said: ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ They were the last words I heard him say.’
 Aswell as Scorcese’s film, an exhibition is being created at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, the first major museum retrospective of the late musician’s life and career, while Miss Harrison has also written a book about his life.
Talking about her decision to write the biography, she said she had uncovered somuch during the five-year process of making the documentary that ‘it seemed a shame not to share that.’
‘Therewas just too much material that Marty didn’t use — ephemera, letters. It lent itself to a pictorial arc of George’s life.’