The tabloid frenzy is really kicking in now, unfortunately.....Ronnie Wood held 'for trying to throttle' 21-year-old girlfriend Ekaterina
By Christian Gysin
Last updated at 11:04 PM on 03rd December 2009
Ronnie Wood has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting his 20-year-old Russian lover.
Witnesses claim they saw the 61-year-old Rolling Stone slap Ekaterina Ivanova and appear to throttle her while holding a cigarette.
They say Wood dragged her along by her hair and coat and tried to take her handbag from her, while hurling foul language at her.
Age gap: Ronnie Wood, pictured with his Russian girlfriend Ekaterina Ivanova, was arrested and bailed on suspicion of assaulting her Former health centre manager Phillip Legge and his wife Celine told how they were woken by the pair arguing outside their house on the High Street in Claygate, Surrey, on Wednesday night. 'We had just gone to bed at about
10.45pm when we heard this man shouting and
screaming at the top of his voice,' Mr Legge said.
'He was shouting, "You are a f***ing b****" and then "You are a f***ing w****" and it was really loud.
'I could hear a woman screaming for him to leave her alone and initially thought it was two people just having a row.
'But the screaming went on and on and I went downstairs and then out into the street.
'It was then I saw this man dragging a woman down the road.
'She had been on the floor by a shop-front to begin with and he was towering over her screaming abuse into her face. He had really viciously turned on her.'
Mr Legge, 30, said he did not recognise the Rolling Stone, who he said was dragging the woman by her coat collar along the ground before trying to take her handbag from her.
Mr Legge said he saw a struggle between the two while Wood appeared to be holding a cigarette.
Ruxley Towers in Claygate, Surrey, where Ronnie Wood has set up home with Russian girlfriend 'I heard her say: "Ouch...Stop it.'' He then pinned her up against a nearby wall and again he appeared to put his hands around her throat.'
Mr Legge shouted at the man, who turned and walked away, leaving the woman on the floor. 'I then went to her and got her into the house,' he said.
'She was in a terrible state. She was wearing shorts and a striped top and red coat but her hair was all over the place, her tights were ripped and torn and there were grazes all over her legs.' Mr Legge and his 20-year-old pregnant wife claim that as they waited for police to arrive Miss Ivanova spoke repeatedly to Wood on the phone, telling him: 'You're not even sorry - you can't even say sorry.'
They allege that Miss Ivanova smelled heavily of drink and told them that the couple had been to a restaurant in the village where they had rowed, with Miss Ivanova suggesting they should split up.
A waiter at the Bengal Lancer restaurant said Wood drank vodka there by himself before his girlfriend joined him.
Once police arrived at the Legges' house it is understood Miss Ivanova answered some of their questions but refused to make a complaint about Wood's actions. An hour later police took her to the couple's rented folly in Claygate where they arrested Wood shortly after midnight.
Only after she had gone did Mr and Mrs Legge realise the 'Ronnie' she had been talking to was a Rolling Stone. Mr Legge has since given a statement to police.
Wood split from his wife Jo in July last year after meeting Miss Ivanova - who is also known as Kat - and last month their marriage of 23 years ended in a 'quickie' divorce as Mrs Wood walked away with a £6.5million settlement.
Wood and Miss Ivanova moved to Surrey in September where he has taken a year-long lease on the £4,000-a-week four-bedroom Ruxley Towers, which is owned by a member of the French sportswear dynasty Lacoste.
Friends of the guitarist, known for his long-running battles with alcohol, have claimed that he is 'most definitely' drinking again.
A close friend told the Daily Mail: 'They have an extremely volatile relationship - it's very stormy and sexual. One day, Kat will be mocking him for his age and then they will be rowing over his family.'
It is believed that the pair have had a string of rows as Miss Ivanova has been 'nagging' Wood to put Sandymount House, his £3million listed mansion in County Kildare, Ireland, into her name.
But the friend said: 'There is no way that Ronnie can do this as he is being forced to sell a lot of his properties to make a divorce settlement for his wife Jo. But Kat wants proof that he loves her.'
Miss Ivanova is also said to be jealous that Wood has had a rapprochement with his daughter Leah, 31, who refused to talk to him after he left her mother for the former cocktail waitress, and is thought to be upset that he will not spend Christmas with her family.
Last night a police spokesman confirmed that a 62-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of assault and had been bailed to appear at a Surrey police station in January 'pending further enquiries'.
Wood's spokesman, David Rigg of Project Associates, said yesterday: 'I can confirm that there was an incident last night and that Ronnie Wood was arrested. He has since been released on police bail.
'We have no further statement to make at this time.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1232954/Ronnie-Wood-arrested-bailed...