Money Can't Buy Heather Mills

The divorce proceedings between Sir Paul McCartney and Heather have hit a stalemate after both parties failed to come to an agreement after eight hours of talks. It may be shaping up to be one of the priciest divorces in British history but contrary to many reports, it’s not money that’s the sticking point between these two warring parties.

 

Paul filed for divorce in July 2006 after a four-year marriage, citing Heather’s “unreasonable behaviour”. On October 11, the pair met up at London's Royal Court of Justice to thrash out the terms of their divorce. But after their, ahem, hard day’s fight, they have hit a brick wall over two issues.

 

The first issue is ownership of two houses. Heather – who already owns a house in Sussex and another home where she lives with their three-year-old daughter Beatrice – demanded the couple’s former family home in Hove and a £6 million Los Angeles property, on top of the reported £36 million divorce settlement offered by Paul. The 65-year-old Beatles legend said she can get stuffed.

The second, more key, issue is Heather’s refusal to sign a confidentiality agreement. Paul is adamant that his ex-wife sign a clause that forbids her from publicly revealing her version of what went on in their marriage – an agreement that is fairly common in divorce cases involving celebrities. Macca reportedly offered his ex-wife a further £14 million to cover the loss of earnings she would potentially make from selling her story, taking the settlement to a staggering £50 million. The 39-year-old charity campaigner said he can get stuffed.

Does Heather Mills have the right to speak publicly about her relationship, or is Paul right to try to buy her silence? Join the debate on the boards

Why would Heather turn down such a gigantic offer? Some suggest she’s holding out for £100 million, but a more likely reason is because she is desperate to tell her version of events. And really, who can blame her? After being slagged off by the media, branded a gold digger and harassed by diehard Beatles fans in the street, Heather wants to clear her name. Even more than that, she wants to be liked.

 

Heather’s desire for book and TV deals is not motivated by money. Obviously she would make a fair amount from selling her story, but nowhere near as much as Paul’s £14 million offer to stay quiet. By writing an autobiography and going on The Oprah Winfrey Show to reveal her version of how she was the innocent victim in their split, Heather honestly feels she can turn the tide of public opinion and make the general public feel sorry for her. It may sound trite, but all she needs is love.

If leaked divorce papers are anything to go by, she’ll have a lot to talk about. Thirteen pages of papers containing allegations of Paul’s behaviour during the marriage were leaked by fax to two major news agencies in 2006, details from which ran in the Daily Mail and The Sun. They include allegations that Paul was violent towards Heather and frequently drunk and high on drugs during their marriage, allegations he denies.

If Mills signed the confidentiality clause, she would be forbidden from ever discussing these allegations in public. Many believe that Heather's people were behind the leak of the papers in an attempt to turn public opinion against the much-loved Beatles legend. A source close to McCartney accused Mills' PR team of "orchestrating” the leak to maximise sympathy for her: "This is coming from a woman with a well-documented problem with the truth,” said the source. “This document was leaked with the very specific intention in mind of damaging Paul's reputation and trying to hurt Paul… Paul denies this version of events completely.”

 

Leading divorce lawyers predict that, despite the pair hitting a stalemate, a settlement will eventually be reached before the case goes to open court. But they predict McCartney will have to shell out in the region of £70 million to make Heather sign on the dotted line – which would make it the UK’s largest divorce settlement. The pair had hoped to settle the dispute ahead of their daughter Beatrice's fourth birthday on October 30, but now it’s looking increasingly unlikely that will happen.

Does Heather Mills have the right to speak publicly about her relationship, or is Paul right to try to buy her silence? Join the debate on the boards

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