Gavin Rossdale's former lover was "hurt" when he denied their relationship

He told Newsweek: "It was extremely hurtful to be denied. As Shakespeare said: 'A love denied blights the soul'."

Although Marilyn, 53, previously called 50-year-old Gavin - who split from Gwen Stefani last year - the love of his life, he now admits he was wrong.

He said: "I might have overemphasised that. I'm not sure about that at all—hindsight is 20/20. I don't think I was well when I said it."

And while Marilyn stayed quiet about their relationship until 2009, he didn't care that his close pal Boy George wrote about it in his 1995 autobiography.

He explained: "When I go out with someone, I feel they're in love with me and I'm in love with them, I'm proud. Why would I [hide]? I understand in a business sense, 20 years ago, it wasn't so [acceptable]. I didn't tell anybody; that didn't sit right with me but I was prepared to do it.

"When George came out with it I said: 'Who cares?' I wasn't going to deny it. Not talking about it was one thing but denying it was another level."

Meanwhile, after Gavin and Gwen - who have three sons together - split last year, Marilyn weighed in, saying he believes a lack of trust was to blame.

He said at the time: "It really isn't that surprising. This has been going on for years. Well done to them for trying so long!

"Gwen didn't want to know or acknowledge certain things about him. She wanted to edit his past and he wanted to as well.

"But how do you go into a relationship and not be 100 per cent honest? You can't have an ongoing stable relationship being untruthful or unaccepting. I just don't get it."

The marriage was also rocked in 2004 after Gwen discovered that Gavin had fathered a child with Pearl Lowe. Although the relationship happened before he met Gwen and his daughter Daisy Lowe was 14 when he discovered the truth, Gwen was reportedly devastated when she found out.

Marilyn said: "If you're not honest, and especially if you're with someone who is extremely successful and in the public eye, it'll come out of the woodwork.

"And I think the fact that Gavin couldn't be upfront about certain things was the problem. I would be suspicious that the person wasn't being honest with me. I can imagine Gwen would have a similar problem."