 TO MILLIONS around the world, John Lennon was a legend who could do no wrong. But to his first wife he was the man who once savagely attacked her and scarred his first-born child by abandoning him for years at a time. Now Cynthia Lennon has decided to reveal what marriage to the musical genius was really like in a new warts-and-all book. "John", released yesterday, tells of the Beatles star's cruel streak, including how he sent a messenger to tell her their marriage was over, as well as their happier times. Cynthia, who was brought up in Hoylake, told the Daily Post: "I feel Julian is still very scarred by it all. It's not always easy for a mother to talk to her son, which is why I wanted to write it all down. "It is much easier to put it on paper. I hope it helps him understand. I wanted him to know everything, the good things and the bad about his father. "I felt very angry at the way he was treated in retrospect but time heals all wounds. "John could be a verbal bully, although it would be tinged with humour. "He hit me once but it was the first and last time. "If you think about great artists, the majority have had amazing but tragic lives. "He was a legend to so many people but to me he was the man whose socks I washed, and by hand at that - we didn't have a washing machine. "I didn't want the marriage to be over, but it was taken out of my hands. "It was a cowardly end, it should never have happened that way, but I think he did regret that later on." | 
