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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Nia Dalton & Ryan Paton

Heather Mills' life and what she did with Paul McCartney's millions after bitter divorce

Heather Mills' rollercoaster romance with Sir Paul McCartney has made many headlines over the years.

The former model's life was explored in a Channel 5 documentary, The Trials of Heather Mills, which arrived on our screens earlier this month. The 90-minute programme explored Heather's tough childhood and her marriage with The Beatles legend.

The two were first introduced by former Good Morning Britain host, Piers Morgan, in May 1999 at the Pride of Britain Awards in London when Sir Paul presented an award in his late wife Linda's name. They married in 2002 and had a daughter together named Beatrice, however Paul's other daughter, Stella, famously didn't see eye-to-eye with Heather -as Mirror Online reports.

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Heather told The Things: "Every week [Stella] tried to break up our marriage. She was so jealous. She wasn't interested in her dad's happiness. I can't protect her any longer. She's done some evil, evil things."

After a series of explosive rows, the couple divorced in 2009 and Heather told reporters at the time: "I'm so glad it's over." A bitter divorce ensued, with Sir Paul filing on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.

The pair then thrashed it out in court as Heather demanded £125m of the Beatles legend's money. Heather accused Sir Paul of regularly being drunk and smoking cannabis, and also alleged that he had been physically abusive.

In his final judgement, Mr Justice Bennett said he found that her evidence was, "not just inconsistent and inaccurate but also less than candid." He added: "Overall she was a less than impressive witness."

The court ruled in Sir Paul's favour, awarding her £24.3m. The singer insisted on the full judgement being released to the press, despite Heather's attempts to stop it.

In response, she poured a glass of water over the head of Sir Paul McCartney's lawyer Fiona Shackleton. Following the divorce, the 80-year-old musician described his marriage to Heather as one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

In 2008, he was asked if it was his worst error in the last decade, he replied: "OK, yeah. I suppose that has to be the prime contender."

He added: "I don't want to down anyone. These things happen. I tend to look at the positive side, which is that I have another beautiful daughter out of it."

Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, arrive at the 74th Annual Academy Awards March 24, 2002 (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

Heather - who vowed to never walk down the aisle again following her split with Sir Paul - reportedly remarried in 2021. She was said to have tied the knot with businessman boyfriend Mike Dickman, then 36, in a private ceremony.

The pair first met as strangers on a train, where the mum-of-one handed him a flirty note that read: "I think you're hot. Email me."

They went public in 2019 and two years later, it's believed they got engaged on the palm fringed sand at the Anantara resort. Heather's rumoured new husband apparently runs in showbiz circles and counts I'm A Celebrity star Georgia Toffolo as his friend.

The ex-model started a new venture following her split from Paul in 2008 and branched into vegan food, opening two factories - including taking on the premises of Walkers. At the time, she said: "Everyone was laughing at [veganism] 25 years ago, saying we were nuts. It's brilliant everyone has caught on to the plant-based movement."

Heather has always been an advocate for many charities and donated millions to good causes, including her 2007 fee for America's Strictly, Dancing With The Stars. She was the world's first ever amputee on the show and donated her fee to VIVA the animal charity, before competing on 2010's Dancing on Ice.

She then appeared on Channel 4's The Jump, and set a skiing world record as the fastest ­disabled woman in the world, launching down the slopes at 103.6mph. Heather even won four gold medals with the British Paralympic ski team in Aspen and a Silver Medal in New Zealand.

After divorcing Paul in 2008, Heather was awarded a £24.3m settlement, plus payments of £35,000 per annum for a nanny and school costs for their child. In 2009, Heather bought VBites, a vegan food company, and later said she invested £23m into the firm after the Government refused her a loan.

Last year, the 55-year-old opened up about her outlook on money in an interview on The Argus Podcast - stating that she hasn't struggled financially as an adult.

Heather explained that she did not feel "connected" to money until it was used as a driving force to make positive change. She said: "My mum left when I was nine and my dad went to prison when I was 13. I had to bring up the family. I appreciated the value of money,

"But I also understand how it could make a difference. Why die on a tomb of it when you can do something with it. Never understood people who were obsessed with [money]. I'd never been connected to it. I'd always managed to make it and make a difference with it."

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