Ian Rankin has admitted to a 'romp' with a young writer at the British Book Awards last Wednesday, 9 April. The Daily Record reports that the author, 47, shared a drunken kiss with the woman, 26, at a post-awards party in full view of other guests, and then invited her back to his room.

'I got very drunk and did some stupid things which I now regret,' said the Fife-born writer, who is married to Miranda, 50, the mother of his two teenage sons. 'I have let my family down. I've just got to try and sort things out now.'

That wasn't the only bad news for Rankin on the night - his novel 'Exit Music' lost out to Patricia Cornwell's 'Book of the Dead' in the Crime Thriller of the Year category. See the full results at http://www.britishbookawards.co.uk/