NMR correlation maps of paper samples suggest a two-site residence model for water in the ultrastructure of cellulose. When cross-linking and degradation of cellulose occur due to c-irradiation-induced ageing, a significant fraction of water appears confined into low-mobility sites of the cellulose matrix. As the cellulose damage grows more pronounced, the two-site structure turns into a single-site water arrangement. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.