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www.thesun.co.uk]
ROLLING STONE RONNIE WOOD was last night living with a Russian bargirl less than a THIRD of his age — who is bragging to pals how he has dumped his wife of 23 years.
Muscovite Ekaterina Ivanova, 18, claims shocked Jo Wood begged her not to steal the 61-year-old after he took her home to meet his missus.
But the cocktail waitress told friends she sneered at the blonde ex-model: “I am not taking him — he is leaving.”
Dad-of-four Ronnie, who met the teenager while out boozing, has now whisked her away to his luxury pad in Ireland.
Yesterday Jo, 53, who believed the pair had gone on a painting holiday together, was horrified to learn of the teenager’s boasts — and insisted the conversation at the couple’s South West London mansion NEVER took place.
Jo declared: “She is mad — she is a terrible alcoholic.
“I know her — she’s been here. She’s a friend and he’s a guy — I’m going to call her now.
“And I’m gonna go and call him now and tell him what she’s said.”
Jo admitted she WAS frantic with worry — but said it was because alcoholic Ronnie was hitting the bottle again.
She revealed at the family home in Kingston upon Thames: “He’s drinking heavily — maybe two bottles of vodka a day.”
Love
Jo said boozy Ekaterina had wormed her way into becoming a drunking buddy of her husband — who has earned respect in the art world with his paintings.
The wife insisted: “I was quite all right that she was hanging around with him.
“They have been staying in Ireland and Ronnie’s art man was with them.
“Ronnie told me she was staying there and I said, ‘OK — get on with it and have a drink, go mad. Drink your guts up’.”
Asked if she thought the pair were having an affair, Jo stressed: “They’re not boyfriend or girlfriend — not in that way.”
Ekaterina has been telling friends a different story.
One said: “She is absolutely besotted with Ronnie.
“Whether or not he knows it, she plans a future with him.
“She has told everyone Ronnie has left his wife for her and they are a full-on item. She said she went to Ronnie’s house in London and has met his wife Jo.
“Ekaterina said Jo had told her she knew what was going on and begged her not to take her husband away.
“She claimed she told Jo, ‘I am not taking him. He is leaving’.
“She and Ronnie have been seeing each other ever since.”
Ekaterina used the social networking website Facebook to tell chums she and the guitarist were having a relationship.
In internet chats with them she said Ronnie was her boyfriend and she was quickly “falling in love”.
While Ekaterina has been staying with Ronnie in County Kildare — where he often goes to paint — the rocker has been using her as a model.
The friend said: “She has told everyone she has been posing for her boyfriend Ronnie, and that she only models for him.
“Everyone’s a bit taken aback by the relationship.
“She’s a teenager. Whether or not they are sleeping together is not the issue. It’s a weird set-up and Ronnie’s wife must be beside herself with worry.”
Ronnie met the Russian in a bar after the April premiere in Leicester Square of the film Shine A Light — MARTIN SCORSESE's documentary about the Stones.
It blends archive material of Ronnie, MICK JAGGER, KEITH RICHARDS and CHARLIE WATTS with footage from a 2006 concert by the band in the US.
Binge
Despite his rock and roll lifestyle, Ronnie has always declared his undying devotion to his marriage — earning respect for his commitment to a traditional family.
He and Jo wed in 1985 after his divorce from model KRISSY FINDLAY.
Jo has become a successful businesswoman, selling organic beauty products.
A source close to the guitarist admitted last night:
Ronnie is not being his normal self at the moment. He is an alcoholic and he’s fallen off the wagon.
He is drinking two bottles of vodka a day and there is no way he would be behaving like this if he was sober.
He went out and found himself a drinking partner — that is what this girl is.
He has been pushing away the people who love him while he does this. It is typical behaviour for an alcoholic.
He knows that his family wouldn’t tolerate him behaving like this so he has run away to go and drink himself crazy. He met this girl when he was on a drinking binge and now they are drinking partners.
His family just want him to stop drinking and come home. The primary problem is his alcoholism. They want him to deal with that first. Close quote
Former hellraiser Ronnie, who co-owns a London art gallery with sons Jamie and Tyrone, last checked himself into rehab before his daughter Leah’s wedding in June.
He hired dwarves to provide entertainment at the nuptials.
His spokesman said at the time: “The fact he checked himself in because it was Leah’s wedding shows, I think, that he is very capable of controlling it.”
WHEN RONNIE WOOD falls off the wagon, it’s time to get a hard-hat on.
He is famous for his boozing and when he hits the bottle, it isn’t in half measures.
The last time Ron was back on his favourite tipple, vodka — and lots of it — he ended up under a table in a posh restaurant biting KATE MOSS' ankles.
Years ago Ron and wife Jo were invited to housesit for a friend who was away on business.
The pal returned to find Ron had emptied his wine cellar — including bottles of plonk worth thousands. It’s sad, though, to see a man who had a happy family risk it all with his desire to go on month-long benders.
I met him earlier this year at the opening of his brother-in-law’s art exhibition and he was warm and funny.
He was the star of the night, lifting the room with his presence and personality.
His behaviour is erratic, granted. He is a different man when he is on the ale.
But his close family think his actions are a strange ritual he goes through — hurting those around him to punish himself for the lapse.
When he finally sobers up, as he has done before, he will realise the blunder he has made by upsetting his stunning, loyal wife Jo.
If he doesn’t, he can forget the planned Faces comeback and winning his family back.