Beatles legend Ringo Starr has opened up about his controversial decision to stop signing autographs for fans - insisting he only imposed the ban because he was sick of seeing his dedications up for sale on the internet.

The drummer announced plans to deny requests for his signature in a 2008 video message, explaining he doesn't have time to deal with the piles of fan letters he receives.

And now Starr has revealed he made the decision in a bid to stop unscrupulous autograph-hunters making money from his signatures on internet auction website eBay.com.

He says, "I was signing and then they were on eBay the next day. So I just decided, 'I think I've done my share. That's it'."