Music Banter - View Single Post - McCartney-Mills Split

MURDER JUNKIE · 05-18-2006, 01:18 AM

They can't work it out
After four years of nasty rumours and controversy, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have called it quits
May 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
SARAH LYALL
NEW YORK TIMES

LONDON—The bitchy rumours began almost as soon as they began dating: that she was a publicity-crazed fantasist; that he was too addled by romance to notice that, among other things, his children detested her.

But all the pessimism about the marriage of former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife, Heather Mills McCartney, seemed justified yesterday when the couple announced they had formally separated after four years of marriage.

Despite reports in the British news media of knock-down fights in recent days, the couple said in a joint statement that the split was amicable and "both of us still care about each other very much."

But, they added, they have "found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives." They asked "for the sake of our baby daughter, that we will be given some space and time to get through this difficult period."

The statement made no mention of trying to get back together. Nor did it mention divorce, an issue potentially complicated by the fact that McCartney has a massive fortune — equivalent to $1.7 billion, London's Evening Standard reported — and by the lack of a pre-nuptial agreement.

Although the British news media reported at the time of the wedding that McCartney's children had insisted he sign such an agreement, he later said he had not, considering it "unromantic." Besides, a publicist for Mills said on her website, "he knew it was completely unnecessary."

At first, the relationship between McCartney — who turns 64 next month, an age he once speculated about in song — and Mills, now 38, a former model he met in 1999 through her charity work, seemed blessed.

He was a famously uxorious man who — apart from a 10-day stint in Japanese prison after a marijuana bust — was said to have never spent a night away from his first wife, Linda, in 29 years of marriage. She died of cancer in 1998.

Mills had overcome a brutal past that included an abusive father, periods of destitution and homelessness, and the loss of her leg after she was hit by a police motorcycle while crossing a street in London in 1993.

They were both devoted to charity, raising money for people who had lost their legs to landmines and campaigning against cruelty toward animals.

By the time they got married, in 2002 in Ireland, there was already a strong tide of anti-Heather opinion in the British news media, abetted by an army of anonymous "friends" of the couple. She was a latter-day Yoko Ono, they said, who came between him and his children, him and his friends, and him and his longtime publicist, Geoff Baker, who left the job after she made his life unbearable. (Ono, widow of McCartney's famed songwriting partner John Lennon, was often blamed for the breakup of the Beatles in 1970.)

Mills' detractors said she was a compulsive liar who had embellished her past and a relentless self-publicist who had orchestrated her own press coverage, phoning reporters from her hospital bed, after the amputation of her leg. The couple was said to argue all the time; she reportedly flung her enormous sapphire engagement ring into the bushes outside their hotel room in a pre-wedding tiff.

Speculation immediately turned yesterday to the financial settlements surrounding the end of the marriage.

"She could get a huge chunk of his wealth," said Patricia Hollings, a divorce specialist with the London legal firm Finers Stephens Innocent. Hollings said that Mills' relatively young age and the fact that they have a child, combined with McCartney's "staggering" wealth and celebrity status, have the potential to push the settlement into the stratosphere.

McCartney and Mills had a daughter, Beatrice, in October 2003. He also has three grown children from his marriage to Linda — including Stella, a well-known fashion designer — and a stepdaughter from Linda McCartney's first marriage.

McCartney always defended his second wife, and responded to some of the criticism against her on a "Heather Mills McCartney: Fact and Fiction" page on her website, saying that "it hurts me to see her wounded by these scurrilous reports, and not have anyone set the record straight."

Among other things, he said on the site, she did not force him to attend even "the opening of an envelope," and the decision to dye his hair was his, not hers.

Even after the separation announcement yesterday, McCartney posted a message on his website saying he was upset over suggestions Mills had simply married him for his fortune.

"There is not an ounce of truth in this," McCartney wrote about Mills. "She is a very generous person who spends most of her time trying to help others in greater need than herself. All the work she does is unpaid so these stories are ridiculous and completely unfounded."

The couple appeared together last month in a television documentary, "The McCartneys v. The Fur Trade." In March, they travelled to eastern Canada to protest the seal hunt.

But according to The Daily Mirror, which first revealed news of the split in yesterday's issue, they had had increasing arguments over her desire to step up her charity work and his desire for her to scale down, and her resentment at his superior fame.

McCartney, wrote the paper's show business reporter, Fiona Cummins, wanted the couple to split because he "believes they can no longer endure their private hell."

05-18-2006, 01:18 AM	#1 (permalink)
MURDER JUNKIE The Wetter The Better!! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: SH1TTY London Ontario Canada Posts: 2,504	McCartney-Mills Split They can't work it out After four years of nasty rumours and controversy, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have called it quits May 18, 2006. 01:00 AM SARAH LYALL NEW YORK TIMES LONDON—The bitchy rumours began almost as soon as they began dating: that she was a publicity-crazed fantasist; that he was too addled by romance to notice that, among other things, his children detested her. But all the pessimism about the marriage of former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife, Heather Mills McCartney, seemed justified yesterday when the couple announced they had formally separated after four years of marriage. Despite reports in the British news media of knock-down fights in recent days, the couple said in a joint statement that the split was amicable and "both of us still care about each other very much." But, they added, they have "found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives." They asked "for the sake of our baby daughter, that we will be given some space and time to get through this difficult period." The statement made no mention of trying to get back together. Nor did it mention divorce, an issue potentially complicated by the fact that McCartney has a massive fortune — equivalent to $1.7 billion, London's Evening Standard reported — and by the lack of a pre-nuptial agreement. Although the British news media reported at the time of the wedding that McCartney's children had insisted he sign such an agreement, he later said he had not, considering it "unromantic." Besides, a publicist for Mills said on her website, "he knew it was completely unnecessary." At first, the relationship between McCartney — who turns 64 next month, an age he once speculated about in song — and Mills, now 38, a former model he met in 1999 through her charity work, seemed blessed. He was a famously uxorious man who — apart from a 10-day stint in Japanese prison after a marijuana bust — was said to have never spent a night away from his first wife, Linda, in 29 years of marriage. She died of cancer in 1998. Mills had overcome a brutal past that included an abusive father, periods of destitution and homelessness, and the loss of her leg after she was hit by a police motorcycle while crossing a street in London in 1993. They were both devoted to charity, raising money for people who had lost their legs to landmines and campaigning against cruelty toward animals. By the time they got married, in 2002 in Ireland, there was already a strong tide of anti-Heather opinion in the British news media, abetted by an army of anonymous "friends" of the couple. She was a latter-day Yoko Ono, they said, who came between him and his children, him and his friends, and him and his longtime publicist, Geoff Baker, who left the job after she made his life unbearable. (Ono, widow of McCartney's famed songwriting partner John Lennon, was often blamed for the breakup of the Beatles in 1970.) Mills' detractors said she was a compulsive liar who had embellished her past and a relentless self-publicist who had orchestrated her own press coverage, phoning reporters from her hospital bed, after the amputation of her leg. The couple was said to argue all the time; she reportedly flung her enormous sapphire engagement ring into the bushes outside their hotel room in a pre-wedding tiff. Speculation immediately turned yesterday to the financial settlements surrounding the end of the marriage. "She could get a huge chunk of his wealth," said Patricia Hollings, a divorce specialist with the London legal firm Finers Stephens Innocent. Hollings said that Mills' relatively young age and the fact that they have a child, combined with McCartney's "staggering" wealth and celebrity status, have the potential to push the settlement into the stratosphere. McCartney and Mills had a daughter, Beatrice, in October 2003. He also has three grown children from his marriage to Linda — including Stella, a well-known fashion designer — and a stepdaughter from Linda McCartney's first marriage. McCartney always defended his second wife, and responded to some of the criticism against her on a "Heather Mills McCartney: Fact and Fiction" page on her website, saying that "it hurts me to see her wounded by these scurrilous reports, and not have anyone set the record straight." Among other things, he said on the site, she did not force him to attend even "the opening of an envelope," and the decision to dye his hair was his, not hers. Even after the separation announcement yesterday, McCartney posted a message on his website saying he was upset over suggestions Mills had simply married him for his fortune. "There is not an ounce of truth in this," McCartney wrote about Mills. "She is a very generous person who spends most of her time trying to help others in greater need than herself. All the work she does is unpaid so these stories are ridiculous and completely unfounded." The couple appeared together last month in a television documentary, "The McCartneys v. The Fur Trade." In March, they travelled to eastern Canada to protest the seal hunt. But according to The Daily Mirror, which first revealed news of the split in yesterday's issue, they had had increasing arguments over her desire to step up her charity work and his desire for her to scale down, and her resentment at his superior fame. McCartney, wrote the paper's show business reporter, Fiona Cummins, wanted the couple to split because he "believes they can no longer endure their private hell."