Marianne Faithfull has revealed that although she is one of the celebrities synonymous with London in its swinging heyday, she isn't a fan of the city.

The singer even goes so far as to say she "hates" the capital, although added that it is the baggage that goes with it that is the problem, rather than the place itself.

"I have happy memories of London, too," she said. "My son lives there, my grandchildren are there, I've got friends there, but the press do torment me. To the point where if I'm writing a song and I have a memory of the Sixties that I want to include, I'll leave it out and not use it.

"It's more trouble than it's worth. One line in a song and I get questions about Mick Jagger, the poor old thing. He didn't ask for this either."

Marianne, now 67, famously had a relationship with Rolling Stones frontman Jagger for four years between 1966 and 1970. She said Britain turned on her after the infamous "Redlands bust" - when police raided the home of Rolling Stone Keith Richards and found her naked under a fur rug.

She has, however, won a hard-earned following for her music and, despite her protestations, become something of an unlikely national treasure.

"It was all a hell of a long time ago," she said. "It's time everyone got over it, I think. Including me."

Her new album is called Give My Love To London, a slightly scathing new collection of songs featuring contributions from Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Jim Sclavunos, Roger Waters, Ed Harcourt, Adrian Utley, Steve Earle, Anna Calvi, Pat Leonard and Tom McRae. To mark its release, she's embarking on a world tour, and later this year will release Marianne Faithfull: A Life On Record, a collection of photographs taken throughout her career.

"That title's meant to be ambiguous. But OK, it's a little sarcastic. I don't hate London, really," she said. "Let's say I'm somewhere in between, depending on which aspect of London I'm thinking of. But talking about this stuff is never a picnic."

:: Marianne Faithfull releases her new album Give My Love To London on Monday, September 29.