Former Olympic runner Liz McColgan has been found not guilty of assaulting her estranged husband at their family home.

The 47-year-old said she was glad the "judge saw sense today" after she was cleared of the alleged attack on her husband Peter McColgan in July 2011.

Speaking outside Arbroath Sheriff Court after the not guilty verdict was delivered by the sheriff, she said: "This has been a really hard six months.

"I've had a very, very tough life with Peter McColgan, it hasn't been easy and nobody knows the true story of it and today's just proved I'm on the way to a new life now."

The Olympic silver medallist had been married to Mr McColgan, who represented Northern Ireland as a steeplechaser at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, for 22 years before they split last year.

The pair have five children together and had continued to live at their marital home in Carnoustie, Angus.

Mrs McColgan had been on trial accused of assaulting her husband at their home on July 12 this year.

Mr McColgan told the court during the one-day hearing that his wife punched him in the face after she had received a letter from his solicitor saying the family home would be sold if they divorced.

A charge that she had caused "fear and alarm" by throwing clothes out of a window of the house was dropped. Sheriff Derek Pyle found her not guilty of the assault charge and told her she was free to leave the court.

Outside, an emotional Mrs McColgan thanked her family for their support, adding: "I am very emotional but I think for Peter to hide behind an assault charge, there are men out there that are actually sitting in that position with women who are beating them up, and I think it's so cruel of him to use such a lame excuse and to try and ruin me by pretending there was an incident which happened in my house."