'I'm giving up milk.' says Heather

The estranged wife of Sir Paul McCartney is using her celebrity status to become a standard bearer for the movement against eating meat and milk.

Miss Mills, said she had decided to become a vegan after learning more about farming methods and their impact on the environment.

She added: "I'm a vegan now - a healthy diet which saves animals, something very important to me as I detest cruelty.

"Following a plant-based diet not only benefits your health massively but also makes a huge difference to the planet, to animals and to feeding the world.

My hope is to continue to put the message out there."

Miss Mills believes there are various health concerns linked to cow's milk, including allergies.

But she said a key objection is the way milk is produced.

"It is the obscenity of taking newborn calves away from their mothers so we can have their milk - a product designed by evolution for little cows, not little people, or big people for that matter."

She added she was convinced her decision was the right one.

"I could never go back to eating meat, fish or dairy," she said.

"I hate the cruelty of factory farming."