LONDON, June 21: Former US president Bill Clinton lost his temper during a BBC interview after being repeatedly asked if he was genuine in voicing regret over his affair with Monica Lewinsky, according to British newspapers.

Bill Clinton, revving up a publicity campaign on the eve of the release on Tuesday of his memoirs, bristled at relentless questioning about the affair with the White House intern by veteran BBC interviewer David Dimbleby.

The Times said that Mr Clinton, known for being media savvy and cheerful in public, let out a rant that lasted several minutes. "As outbursts go, it is not just some flash that is over in an instant.

It is something substantial and sustained," said a BBC executive who viewed the interview, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

The weekly said Mr Clinton then branched out into an attack on media intrusion into the private lives of public figures. Britain's public broadcaster will air the Clinton interview on Tuesday, in step with the release of his much-awaited memoirs. -AFP