Afternoon:
10°c
A rioter who terrorised diners with an axe at McDonald's has been jailed for five years and three months - one of the toughest sentences for last summer's disturbances
More...
Heather demands £10,000 a day from Sir Paul 'to get by'
Last updated at 12:07pm on 08.03.07Heather Mills is demanding £10,000 a day as part of her bitter divorce pay-off from Sir Paul McCartney.
The former model is considering a "high-speed" settlement with her estranged husband with a minimum cash payout of £3.5 million a year - for a total of at least £40 million.
More follows...
Heather Mills is considering a quickie divorce with a minimum cash payout of £3.5 million a year
Mills, 39, has calculated the amount after drawing up a list of her annual cash commitments and says she needs the money to "get by".
But Sir Paul looks set to reject the offer, claiming he is not worth as much as everyone thinks he is.
One of the singer's friends said: "It's amazing. When you consider her humble beginnings, £10,000 a day is a phenomenal sum to cover her needs. It's as much as some Premiership footballers earn. Many people have to work a year for what she wants to bank in a day.
"Heather is making extremely large demands considering the brevity of the marriage.
"Paul wants to be as generous as possible but the trouble is his fortune has been grossly exaggerated."
The 64-year-old former Beatle has argued that he is worth "considerably less" than the £825 million fortune he has been alleged to be possess. The couple's bitter divorce battle saw them to come face-to-face last week as they appeared three times in the High Court.
It was hoped that they might split in a "quickie divorce" which would avoid both appearing in court, but the hearings could now drag on for months and possibly into next year.
Leaked divorce papers showed Ms Mills claims that Sir Paul poured wine over her, stabbed her arm with a broken wine glass, pushed her over a coffee table and shoved her over into a bath when she was pregnant with their daughter Beatrice. Sir Paul has denied all the claims.
Reader views (8)
So she spent £10,000 a day before she got married did she? I don't think so. Can anyone think what you might need to spend this money on? If I went on a shopping spree every day I might manage it, but "to get by" most of us only need to pay the bills, pay for travel and buy food in a day. Last time I checked Pret hadn't put its prices up to £10,000 for a sandwich
- Ag, London, 08/03/2007 13:29
Report abuse
£10K a day, get your head out of the clouds and back inthe real world honey!
- Max, Brighton, UK, 08/03/2007 13:24
Report abuse
Paul from London hit the nail on the head. I'd put up with anyone for 10k per day except Jade Goody.
- Don, Hull, 08/03/2007 13:12
Report abuse
Yes, I can see how it would be difficult to get by on ten grand a day.
- Jay, London, 08/03/2007 13:07
Report abuse
It's really is high time the Courts stopped this sort of claim dead in its tracks. The trouble is that the solicitors, barristers and judges are all in cahoots on this one. They all benefit mightily from the conflict that these outrageous claims generate. The fees in the Charman case were £5 million, goodness knows what the fees will be in the McCartney case, I'd guess they are easily over the £2 million mark already and the money fight has only just begun! This just has to stop and soon or else no wealthy British man can afford to get married. Failing which you need to plan for your divorce before you even get married, make sure you can shift your assets into Swiss bearer bonds fast and emigrate. Let the legal pigs and toxic ex-wives go to an empty trough.
- James, London, 08/03/2007 12:49
Report abuse
Presumably she'll be donating much of this windfall to landmine charities or have they dropped from her radar now that she's a celebrity gold digger?
- Lloyd, London, 08/03/2007 12:41
Report abuse
£10,000 a day? If she were a teaching assistant, or care worker, she would have to work a whole year to earn that kind of money. I am usually pretty supportive of wives making these kinds of claims, but it is one thing for a woman who has been in a long marriage, and has stayed at home for years to look after their children and run the household, so that her husband is free to pursue his career ambitions, to demand a multi-million pound divorce package - as in the case that is being reported at the moment. But Heather Mills is not in this position. Theirs was a short marriage. And she can hardly claim to have contributed to Sir Paul's fortune - he made much of it even before he met and married Linda who, if they had divorced, would have had a case for a big settlement as his long-term partner, who had been behind him for the wings and solo years.
- Lindsay, UK, 08/03/2007 12:40
Report abuse
I know she could do with a bit of slap these days, but £10k a day to 'get by' is a shade excessive. Mind you, that kind of settlement would render her immediately more attractive than any amount of make up ever could...
- Paul, London, 08/03/2007 12:20
Report abuse
