Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has played down reports he dated Paris Hilton, but insists the rumors gave him great press when his estranged wife Shanna Moakler fought her in a Los Angeles club.

Following the incident in October, Hilton claimed former Miss USA Moakler hit her in the jaw, while Moakler alleged Hilton's ex-boyfriend, Stavros Niarchos, pushed her down a flight of stairs.

Barker says, "I got out of a bad relationship where someone was unfaithful and I went to dinner with someone. I went out to a club with someone. That's normal for a dude who just gets divorced. I never thought I would be separated from my wife and I'd be with another girl and it'd be all over the tabloids and my wife would be knocking her out.

"When all that happened, it was a trip, and to this day I think the paparazzi know that I don't want any part of it. But I can't think of better press than a girl beating up another girl over me, so I had to embrace that."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)