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Macca: Now it's getting really dirty
Last updated at 13:02pm on 19.10.06
Sir Paul McCartney spent yesterday with his lawyers following Heather Mills's allegations that he violently attacked her during their four-year marriage.
And the defiant message when he emerged was that he is ready to contest her claims all the way to court.
See here also...
• Mills versus McCartney - the explosive court papers
• See Heather's divorce papers in full
• Mills versus McCartney - the legal big guns
• Not such a nice guy? 'Paul has an ego bigger than God'
• I'm sorry, Macca, for introducing you to this monster - by Piers Morgan, a personal view
In a statement his team said he would be defending the allegations, revealed in yesterday's Daily Mail, 'vigorously and appropriately'.
But whilst publicly Sir Paul was maintaining a dignified silence over the leaked court papers, in private friends said he was 'incandescent with rage' and condemned Miss Mills as a fantasist.
The war of words between the two sides plumbed new depths as one McCartney ally said: 'This is coming from a woman with a well-documented problem with the truth.
'This document was leaked with the very specific intention in mind of damaging Paul's reputation and trying to hurt Paul. He denies this version of events completely.'
Another said: 'Paul is absolutely furious about these accusations which he says are ludicrous. He's been on the phone to family and friends making sure they're
not upset by this. It goes without saying that he's not having to defend himself and they don't believe for a second any of these allegations. He would be laughing about it if he wasn't so angry.'
In a further sign that the two sides are ready for a court battle, Miss Mills's solicitors Mishcon de Reya said: 'We can confirm that she stands by everything that has been filed at court on her behalf and intends to prove its truth in due course should this be necessary.'
In papers lodged by her lawyers, Miss Mills, 38, accused 64-year-old Sir Paul of pushing her over a coffee table, shoving her into a bath when she was pregnant and stabbing her in the arm with a broken wine glass.
The friend added: 'The suggestion that he stabbed her with a wine glass is an outrageous accusation which is designed to damage his reputation and hurt him.'
Sir Paul's former publicist GeoffBaker said: 'Heather Mills is a complete fantasist and I would not believe her if she told me the sun set in the west.
'I know what the b**** is up to … she is trying to destroy Paul. She is trying to do the one thing which I have warned about from the start, which is to ruin this man. She is trying to ruin him by ruining his reputation, she is going to the bloke inside Sir Paul McCartney, the real man, and he is going to be hurting like fury because of it.'
Cilla Black, a friend of Sir Paul, said of the claims of violence: 'I don't believe it for a second. That's not my Pauly, that's not the Pauly I know. I don't think he will be able to cope with all this coming out. He's a very private person. I hope it all works out for him.'
James Stewart, a specialist in family law, said Miss Mills's claims would do her no good. 'Protocol specifically recommends that allegations in divorce proceedings are no stronger than is necessary to secure a decree. There is a code which encourages lawyers to file mild allegations of behaviour.
'The only person who will ultimately suffer is the child (the couple's daughter Beatrice). A vitriolic petition like this is wholly unnecessary these days and won't do her any favours'.
Miss Mills's spokesman Phil Hall said she was 'shocked' by the leaking of the court papers. 'In the last five or six months she has been for a revision amputation operation, she has been very unwell and weak, she lost her voice. In the last three or four weeks she has been coming through that, she is looking a lot better and stronger, and then something like this happens.'
Miss Mills appeared on BBC TV's City Hospital yesterday morning discussing, among other things, pain management.
She pointedly avoided the topic of her divorce, saying: 'I was coming on this programme before all of that'. But the signs of strain caused by the increasingly bitter break-up were apparent in her pale and gaunt appearance.
Miss Mills did make what appeared to be a guarded reference to the court papers, which reveal how Sir Paul allegedly objected 'vociferously' when she asked to buy an antique bedpan to save her crawling to the lavatory at night.
Talking about her 'psychological pain' she said she did have moments of thinking: 'God I'm disabled', adding: 'I do have to crawl to the loo in the middle of the night , I do have to stay on crutches sometimes when my leg's blistering and bleeding.'
Reader views (12)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Heather must be crazy! Who wouldn't object to her her having a bedpan, even an antique one, in the bed! Why can't this stupid woman limit her fluid intake in the evening so she doesn't have to get up in the night! And for emergencies, surely she could keep crutches or a wheelchair by her bed! Why would she have to crawl up steps? Why not bring crutches with you? If Paul was violent towards her, why didn't she call the police? She definitely knows their number, as she was quick to call them to attend her media circus when she was supposedly locked out of Paul's London home! Heather was an independently wealthy woman, so she could easily have left Paul at any time, if he was that bad!
- Alexandra, Broadbeach, Australia
I propose a boycott of all charities which associate themselves with Heather Mills. Money should be given instead to those thousands of charities which do such great work without feeding the ego of this monster.
- Jon, Berlin
I don't believe a word of it. If that is the way she was being treated by him why did she not leave? Very few women would put up with that even if he is a multi-millionaire. It's clear she was after his money all along and now she has Bea she thinks she's entitled to even more. I hope she doesn't get as much as she wants. Remember it is Paul who is divorcing her.
- Anne Marie Auld, Belfast Northern Ireland
Remember, there are three sides to every story.....his, hers & the
truth. Sometimes people bring out the worst in each other...and they
sure have!
- Robyn, Atlanta, GA USA
Living with a fantasist is the hardest thing in the world... no wonder he wanted out. I'd have a little more sympathy for him if he stopped dying his hair though!
- Sarah Smith, London
When has Heather ever told the truth? She has a long history of lies, usually done to get what she wants, one of either fame, money, power. It is no different this time, what is different this time is that she is now using her daugher to get what she wants.
- John, Toronto, Canada
He must have done something seriously wrong if not she would not be so angry with him.
I think she is a ballsy type considering a serious disability as a woman I admire her about him I don't see him as a violent type I think this is not true and I don't see her as the type of woman who takes any violent behaviour on board. But at the same time he could be controlling, self centred and have a drinking, smoking problem which he is not addressing many musicians have this problems especially if their are very famous. Anyway generally getting divorced it's a nusty messy business.
- Adriana, London, Uk
The best thing Sir Paul can do is just say nothing, absolutely nothing.
- James Ritchie, London, UK.
What a really nasty and vindictive person she is. I've met people like her throughout my life, and they really do think that people give a damn about what they say. Trying to act the 'victim' when you are clearly quite 'ballsy' really doesn't work.
I bet she's not even listening to the advice of her solicitors. And I can bet she changes solicitors fairly soon when they get fed up with her.
- Anon, Guildford
I don't think either of them are particulary nice people but to assume that either party are completely innocent is naive!
- Karenf, London
The best thing Paul can do is to cut her loose as quickly as possible and include a gag order. I don't imagine he's a saint but it would seem her crawling up airplane steps would have been photographed or reported at some point, considering the eagerness of British paparazzi.
- Doreen, Jacksonville, FL USA
Plain and simple, I don't believe a word Mills says.
- Tede C., NJ, USA
