Entrepreneur Gary Dean, chairman of Poulton-based Elletson Publishing, created a website which details a £3.7m payout to hit back at rumours of a 'miserly' settlement for ex-wife Helen.

He told The Gazette today: "It is like a goldfish bowl living here.

"There is malicious gossip that goes around because Helen lives one type of lifestyle and I live another.

"I got called all sorts of things.

"I've got no problem with Helen. I just thought once it was all over people would forget about me. They don't know how much it gets to you. They just speculate."

As well as the £3.7m pay off, his ex-wife kept jewellery, diamonds and watches.

The settlement also included two top of the range cars, a Mercedes E500 and an Audi Convertible 3.0.

There are also two "cherished" personalised number plates.

Mr Dean, who lives in St Michael's, wrote on the site: "I'd love to think that nobody gave a monkey's about my divorce.

"Well, if you got this far, it's because for whatever reason you do want to know about it, or think you already know about it, or have been told something about it by someone else rightly or wrongly."

On the site Mr Dean, well known in Poulton as former sponsor of the Christmas lights, reveals his estranged wife turned down an even larger cash lump sum before the divorce proceedings at Preston Crown Court.

Mr Dean writes: "The divorce courts for those of us who've managed to do well for ourselves in life have become dangerous territory."

He added: "If this website looks like the bleating of a wounded ex-hubby – then sorry – but it's certainly not meant to be.

"I am not complaining about what I agreed to pay. There has been so much interest and speculation with regards to our divorce settlement that I felt compelled to put the record straight."

Helen Dean, who lives in Thornton, was unavailable for comment.

Simon Gledhill, head of family law at Napthens solicitors on Springfield Road, Blackpool, said it was unusual for divorce settlements to be made public.

He said: "The cases which go to the High Court, like the McCartney case, are the ones that tend to go public.

"At a lower level when cases are settled nobody gets to know the deal."