Cherie Blair's tears over fraudster allegations

Cherie Blair has broken down in tears as she issued a public rebuttal to allegations surrounding her association with a convicted fraudster.

The Prime Minister's wife has stated it is "not fair to Tony, or to the Government that the focus of political debate is about me."

She added she had remained silent but knew she must speak out after some of the press were effectively suggesting she had tried to influence a judge.

She stated that some parts of the press had made 'frenzied and inaccurate' allegations about her relationship with convicted conman Peter Foster.

Mrs Blair spoke of the pressures of her "special position" and admitted: "Sometimes some of the balls get dropped."

She said that when she heard about Carole Caplin's boyfriend Peter Foster, "it really didn't cross my mind that he was going to land me in the mess that I am now in."