A NEW biography of late fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been blasted over claims he contracted HIV from his ex-lover.

The parents of McQueen's former 'husband', George Forsyth, who died from an overdose of painkillers in 2010, have denied that their son was HIV positive.

They want publisher Simon & Schulster to remove the claim from the soon to be published biography, 'Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin'.

Alan and Sandra Forsyth say the allegation is untrue and causing severe distress to their family.

Mr Forsyth was 34 when he died, a few months after McQueen had taken his own life in February 2010, aged 40. McQueen's ashes were later scattered on Skye, where his father was from.

The new book, by Andrew Wilson, claims that Mr Forsyth contracted HIV before McQueen's death and that the designer believed his ex-lover had passed the virus on to him.

The pair had wed unofficially in 2000, before same-sex marriage was legalised, but split a year later. However, they remained close until McQueen's death.

Sandra Forsyth said: "It is extremely upsetting to have these lies written about George, who was never HIV positive and therefore could never have passed it on to [McQueen]."