Ledger's ex-lover 'goes into hiding'

The ex-lover of late Batman star Heath Ledger has gone into hiding as his final film makes its cinema debut, according to a report.

Actress Michelle Williams has told friends that she cannot cope with the huge hype surrounding The Dark Knight, which sees Ledger taking on the role of Batman's nemesis The Joker.

Michelle has also become increasingly concerned as tension mounts over Heath's fortune. She and their two-year-old daughter Matilda may lose out as Ledger's will was made before they met. Williams' father Larry has already made a public demand for Heath's dad Kim to be open about his late son's assets.

In a statement, Larry said: "It's real simple: Just come clean with everything. It's so easy to resolve this, he just has to say where the income went and where the assets are."

A friend of Michelle told the Sunday Mirror: "The last few weeks have been particularly hard on Michelle because Heath's face has been plastered all over TV and on billboards. It's been extraordinarily difficult as she tries to somehow come to terms with his death and what that means for little Matilda.

"Then there is the awful, festering issue of what he was worth, where the money has gone and what there is going to be in the estate for Matilda."

Ledger died in January following an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.