Paul McCartney quit cannabis because he didn't want to set a 'bad example' to his grandchildren

The 72-year-old said his decision to quit smoking 'was a parent thing'

Paul McCartney performs at the O2 Arena (Getty Images)

Paul McCartney finally gave up cannabis because he wanted to set a good example to his grandchildren, the former Beatles singer has claimed.

The 72-year-old told The Daily Mirror his decision to give up smoking was "a parent thing” and insisted he now prefers to relax with a glass of red wine or a “nice margarita”.

McCartney left his hedonistic days a long time ago and is now a strict vegetarian who prides himself on clean living – something he apparently felt compelled to demonstrate by doing the splits and running through his entire gym regime during his interview.

Summarising his routine, he told the paper: "What’s cool about it is that I’ll be in the gym with all these guys doing really big weights, whilst I’m there doing not big weights, and afterwards, when I’ve done my headstand for about five minutes, these big guys will come up to me and say, ‘That was pretty impressive, man!”

McCartney was famously arrested in Tokyo and imprisoned for nine days when airport officials discovered half a pound of cannabis in his bag in the 1980s. He was eventually freed without charge and allowed to return home.

“I don’t do it anymore,” he said of smoking cannabis. “Why? The truth is I don’t really want to set an example to my kids and grandkids. It’s now a parent thing.

“Back then I was just some guy around London having a ball, and the kids were little so I’d just try and keep it out of their faces.”