A FORMER boyfriend of the daughter of Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone sold a story about them to a newspaper because he was bitter after she dumped him.

Derek Rose, 33, who went out with Tamara Eccleston when she was 17, admitted at his trial where he is accused of blackmail that he was "quite bitter and I wanted to get her back for breaking my heart".

But he told the court his article in 2002 was mainly directed at her businessman father. He said: "I wanted to get back at Tamara, but the journalists weren't interested in Tamara but in Bernie."

William Boyce, QC, said Rose orchestrated an email to her agent which claimed a newspaper had offered him £200,000 for his story. But no such offer had been made.

Rose of Camden, London, denies blackmail.