Sir Paul McCartney admits he nearly quit The Beatles due to crippling stage fright as he opens up about his fears

SIR Paul McCartney has revealed he almost quit The Beatles in their early days due to stage fright.

He said: “I remember feeling sick with a knot in my stomach thinking, ‘I should give this up, this is just too painful’.”

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Sir Paul, 74, said he always feared "the idea that the audience didn't like you and you had to prove yourself."

The legendary singer had been asked by a fan about his biggest fears in life.

He also said that as a kid he feared “getting beaten up by a local gang” in Liverpool.

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Asked if he still gets stage fright, the singer replied: “Not too bad.

"What I do is I always say to my promoter when a tour is coming up: 'Put one show on sale and see how it goes.'

"And he'll ring me back and say, 'It's sold out! Twenty minutes!' So I've got to assume that they like me.

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"So it gives you a confidence and I think I can probably relax, they probably like me.

"And it means you can enjoy the show more."