Michael first found fame with Wham! in the early 1980s

The self-styled "terrible driver" said claims that he left without notifying the owners were "rubbish".

Michael told ITV1's Parkinson show: "I did what I was supposed to do."

The star, who was recently cautioned by police for possessing cannabis, said he had been vulnerable to the press since Sir Elton John attacked him in 2004.

Michael, who has announced his first tour in 15 years, said he collided with a parked car while attempting to pull out of a parking spot.

"I got into my parked car, which was on a very steep hill I have to add, took the handbrake off, tried to manoeuvre out and hit the car in front of me," he told the chat show, to be screened on Saturday.

"I didn't know that it hit the car in front of it, and hit the car in front of that."

'Reasonable' police

He said investigating police officers had been "perfectly reasonable" about the collision.

The pop star was interviewed under caution and the Metropolitan Police are preparing a file on the incident.

And his arrest in February after being found asleep in his car in London's West End was "nothing really" but had been made out to be "this massive drama", he said.

George Michael formed Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley

The singer said recent press interest in his life could be traced to Sir Elton John's comments that Michael was wasting his talent and had "a deep-rooted unhappiness in his life".

He said: "Nobody wants to shunt another car or be found asleep behind the wheel. But they're not life-changing events.

"Unfortunately every artist nowadays has a soap opera and it's decided where they're going to be in that.

"The trajectory of my particular soap opera launched from that statement Elton made about 18 months ago when he hadn't seen me for years."