Heather Mills will be a judge for the Miss USA pageant, Extra reports.
Mills, 40, was awarded $48.6 million in her divorce from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney on Monday. She reportedly dumped a glass of water on McCartney’s attorney, Fiona Shackleton, after the hearing was over.
Both Mills and Marie Osmond, a cohost of Miss USA with brother Donny, are former contestants of Dancing With the Stars.
The pageant will air from Las Vegas on April 11.
Heather Mills sought money for horses she doesn’t ride and wine she doesn’t drink, says a judge who found her divorce-settlement demands “unreasonable, indeed exorbitant.”
In court documents in her case against Paul McCartney, Mills estimated her living expenses, including millions of dollars yearly for housekeepers, helicopter pilots, clothes, chauffeur and security guards.
Here’s a rundown of her projected expenses:
• Mills claimed for seven fully staffed properties with full-time housekeepers in the annual sum of $1.29 million.
• Annual holiday costs of $1 million including private and helicopter flights of $375,000.
• $250,000 for clothes per year.
• $60,000 for equestrian activities annually. The judge noted she no longer rides horses.)
• $80,000 for wine a year. The judge pointed out she does not drink alcohol.
• $86,000 for a driver a year.
• $40,000 for a caterer and $380,000 for professional fees p.a.
• $1.08 million a year for security.
• $1.25 million annually to give as charitable donations but Mills admitted $985,000 would be used en route in helicopters, first class and private jets.
• $146,000 for the cost of business staff and $80,000 for helicopter hospital flights a year.
(source)
Heather Mills is intensifying her bitter war with her husband’s divorce lawyer Fiona Shackleton.
Having thrown a jug of water over Mrs Shackleton at the High Court yesterday, Miss Mills is now threatening to report her to the Law Society for professional misconduct over allegations that she called her names.
Miss Mills threw water over her former husband’s lawyer and then laughingly announced that she had been “baptised in court.” (Check out the before and after above)
But Mrs Shackleton may well have the last laugh as she is rumoured to have earned £3million from the McCartney case.
Miss Mills’ water-throwing tantrum was followed by an astonishing 12-minute rant on the court steps.
She accused Mrs Shackleton, nicknamed the “Steel Magnolia”, of “calling me many, many names before even meeting me when I was in a wheelchair”.
According to sources, Miss Mills is planning to report Mrs Shackleton to the Law Society, the body that regulates solicitors, over alleged comments made during negotiations leading up to yesterday’s settlement.
A source said: “Mills believes that Shackleton accused her of trying it on by appearing at one legal meeting in a wheelchair to gain sympathy.
“More than anyone else, Mills felt this woman had a personal grudge against her. She felt personally attacked by Fiona Shackleton.”
Mrs Shackleton, her reputation now secured as perhaps the finest and certainly most feared divorce lawyer in the country, could for her part take the fight to Mrs Mills.
The source said: “If Fiona Shackleton wants to, she could press for Heather Mills to be found in contempt of court.”
Mrs Shackleton, who also represented Prince Charles in his divorce, has refused to comment, pointing out it is her policy never to speak to the media.
Miss Mills’ outburst came after she was awarded only a fifth of the £125million she had been seeking.
The £25million settlement amounts to more than £700 for every hour that she was married to Sir Paul.
But she was furious at the judge’s decision to grant his request that the full judgment in the case be made public, and today lost her appeal against the move.
Miss Mills is understood to have hurled a glass of water at Sir Paul’s lawyer after accusing her of “letting down womankind” by representing men in the divorce courts.
Mrs Shackleton, whose normally immaculate blonde coiffure was wet and bedraggled, left the Royal Courts of Justice through a rear exit with Sir Paul.
He said simply: “I have no comment. All will be revealed.”
By this time Miss Mills was on the front steps delivering an angry tirade against her ex, his lawyers, her lawyers and the entire legal system.
She confirmed that she had been awarded £24.3million compared with the £125million which court papers revealed she had demanded.
The amount is made up of a £14million lump sum, calculated as an annual allowance of £600,000, plus another £2.5million to buy a London home.
The rest comprises assets she will keep from the marriage totalled at £7.8million, which include a property in East Sussex where she lives with their four-year-old daughter Beatrice.
In addition, she will receive £35,000 a year for Beatrice’s expenses until she reaches 18. That figure does not include childcare or schooling, which Sir Paul will also fund.
Miss Mills’s chances of gaining £125million collapsed after the judge ruled that the musician was worth £400million rather than the £800million she had claimed.
It was also reduced after Sir Paul’s legal team argued successfully that they did not live together before they married.
McCartney’s lawyers turned out to be worth their weight in gold.
They advised him to take a gamble and back out of a £50million mutually-agreed settlement on the basis that they thought a High Court judge would award a lot less. It was advice which saved him some £25million.
In her impromptu press conference, Miss Mills criticised the ruling that Sir Paul was worth £400million, saying: “We all know he’s worth £800million.
“He’s been worth £800million for the last 15 years.”
She then criticised the judge for believing that they never lived together before they married, citing electoral roll evidence to the contrary.
Normally in cases at the Family Court, matters remain private but Sir Paul is said to be keen to end the speculation over his finances and wants the details out in the open.
However Miss Mills argues that it will put her and their daughter’s security at risk by revealing where she will go to school.
In a barbed remark, she said her ex-husband wanted the details published because “he wants to look like this generous Sir Paul.”
Today, in the Court of Appeal, a panel of three judges will decide whether to uphold yesterday’s decision to publish the full ruling.
The court also made an order yesterday stating that, save for the release of the judgment, neither party could reveal details of the case without obtaining the consent of the other.
Family law expert Donna Dean said Miss Mills had already shown “scant regard” for this order.
“Her comments outside court could land her in hot water. If she has breached this order then she could be in contempt and hauled back before the judge to explain herself.
“It would have been much more sensible and dignified for her to have kept quiet and walked away content with her lot.”
Last night, Miss Mills removed all references to her ex-husband from her website and changed her name on it from Heather Mills McCartney to Heather Mills.
A close friend said that in private she was devastated about being awarded so little. “In court it is clear that she just got too cocky.
“The worst thing she could have done was represent herself. On quite a few occasions, Heather was just too brusque with the judge and would talk over him.
High Court judges don’t take kindly to being ranted at. Heather just came across as incredibly greedy.”
(source)
She was less than four minutes into the rant when everyone started to pray for another gagging order.
Surely Heather Mills couldn’t drag out much longer a simple statement to convey her joy that the case was over and that she was more than £24million richer?
Oh yes she could. She was centre stage now and she wasn’t going to let the moment pass.
In a remarkable performance on the steps of the High Court, she gave a triumphant wave for the cameras – and delivered her account of the settlement with barely concealed venom for the way it had come about.
It brought to a close the secretive and acrimonious wrangling over their broken marriage and Heather’s financial future.
Or rather it would have done, had not the 40-year-old ex-model announced her determination to appeal today against the judge’s decision to make details of the case public.
So her obvious anger was directed mostly at that, and not at the amount of money she managed to cream from the Macca fortune for herself and their daughter Beatrice.
But good grief, it took her long enough to say it.
Across the marble floor of the High Court came the Fab One, down the front steps with a catwalk wiggle and a flick of her hair.
She wore a blood-red blouse and a satisfied smile. She was pleased the case was over and she had secured “an incredible result”. But she was clearly furious at the way details of the judgement were being released.
Poor old Heather. Here she was with a mere £24million settlement, probably enough to buy only a few streets in her native Tyne and Wear.
Who could blame the girl if she felt bitter? But no. She was “very, very happy” with the financial settlement, she told us – even though it emerged that she had sought nearly £125million, and that her former husband had offered £15.8million.
From the Heather Mills manual of marriage guidance came this advice: couples should always do their best to resolve their problems instantly.
“Anybody wanting to go through a divorce, try your hardest, man or woman, to settle it immediately.
“And if you’re in an impossible situation – which anybody listening will know that, people don’t see eye to eye, things get out of hand – you can be a litigant in person.”
“The power of one” was how she described it. She labelled herself as “a campaigning girl” and urged others not to be frightened to represent themselves in court, even though, she insisted, the legal system didn’t approve of it.
Two years preparing for this day had made her impressively fluent in legal-speak (albeit with a Geordie twang that made the word “litigant” delightfully difficult to distinguish).
On and on she went. On the TV screens, only reporters and policemen could be seen in the background.
It made it look at first as if she was alone, a fitting image for her unrepresented battle against the McCartney might and millions.
In fact she was there with her sister Fiona – whom she introduced as a tireless supporter of her crusade – plus a minder and that essential chaperone for anyone contemplating a similar court battle, her personal trainer.
It was Fiona, at her side, who prompted her from time to time when Heather appeared to leave out some of the tastier titbits from the settlement.
The judge had found no evidence that McCartney was worth more than £400million, for example, even though “everyone knows” he’s been worth twice that for the last 15 years, Heather asserted.
The payout? That would be used to secure her own and her daughter’s future, she said.
She also planned to “make a difference” with some of the charities she supported. It took her only 33 words before she mentioned that.
Later she suggested the £600,000 she saved in legal fees might easily have gone to charity, although she didn’t specify one.
Particular poison was reserved for Sir Paul’s lawyer, Fiona Shackleton. Miss Mills spoke her name with the same kind of disgust that an estranged wife normally reserves for the other woman.
“Fiona Shackleton has very sadly handled this in the worst manner you could ever, ever imagine. She has called me many, many names before even meeting me when I was in a wheelchair.”
Of course, the world would never have heard any of this had the judgement remained private.
“I wouldn’t even be standing here,” Heather insisted, because there was a gagging order on her not to reveal marital confidences.
Well all right then. Maybe just a little one from post-separation days. “I wasn’t allowed to look at what we spent,” Heather told us.
“I was locked out of every home. I won’t go into all the horrific details of what has happened because I’m just glad it’s over.”
And so was everyone else. She had already delivered something approaching 2,000 words.
More is to follow. Today she begins her battle to suppress the court ruling, or at least try to keep some of the personal detail out of the public domain. And after that?
“I really hope now that me and my daughter can have a life and not be followed every single day. That’s why I’ve come out – to give it closure.”
Somehow, you got the feeling the Heather Mills story might not be closed quite yet.
(source)
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills’ weeklong divorce hearing ended Monday without a deal, and a judge will now impose a settlement on the warring couple.
As legal teams left court, McCartney’s lawyer Nicholas Mostyn told reporters that judge Hugh Bennett had reserved his ruling. The judge will now spend several weeks working out a settlement.
Mills and McCartney separated in 2006 after four years of marriage. They went to court to decide on Mills’ share of the former Beatle’s fortune, which is estimated at as much as $1.6 billion.
Mills, 40, smiled as she left London’s Royal Courts of Justice with her entourage. McCartney, 65, did not attend, although he was in court to face his estranged wife every day last week.
Media reports have suggested McCartney offered his wife around S$50 million and that she was seeking at least double that amount.
Few details have emerged from Court 34 since the hearing began Feb. 11. Unlike most British court cases, divorce proceedings are heard in private, and the courtroom is closed to journalists and the public.
The terms of a settlement will not become public unless it is challenged in the Court of Appeal, or one of the parties chooses to reveal details.
Mills is a former model whose left leg was amputated below the knee after a motorcycle accident in 1993. She became active in campaigning against land mines and in favor of animal welfare.
The couple married in June 2002 – four years after the death of McCartney’s first wife, Linda – and their daughter Beatrice was born in October the following year. They announced their separation in 2006, and McCartney filed for divorce alleging “unreasonable behavior” by his wife.
Heather Mills will be barred from grilling Sir Paul McCartney in court over his alleged violent behaviour towards her during their four-year marriage.
She arrived looking upbeat in a black velvet pinstriped suit and bright red shirt, despite the ban, which could have an adverse affect on her case.
Ms Mills, who is representing herself, is expected to begin cross-examining her estranged husband today in a legal battle to decide the size of her divorce payout.
But Mr Justice Bennett, the High Court judge who will decide the size of Ms Mills’s divorce settlement, is expected to rule that claims of violence are irrelevant in determining how much money Sir Paul should pay his ex-wife.
In divorce papers leaked last year, Ms Mills, 40, accused Sir Paul, 65, of being violent towards her on four occasions, including being stabbed in the arm with a broken wine glass. The former Beatle denied the allegations.
A legal source said today: “The court does not like to air dirty linen in public. What people have done wrong in a marriage is not going to weigh on a judge’s mind in deciding the size of a payout.”
The case was due to conclude today but Mr Justice Bennett is understood to have made space available in his court diary allowing it to run into next week.
(source)
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills returned to court Monday in an attempt to agree on terms for their divorce. The fight over the wealth of the former Beatle, who is estimated to have as much as $1.6 billion, could produce Britain’s largest-ever divorce settlement.
Mills, 40, looked tense and said nothing as she entered a courtroom at London’s Royal Courts of Justice wearing a gray suit and bright pink shirt.
McCartney, 65, arrived at court after his estranged wife, also wearing a gray suit. He said “good morning” as he entered court carrying a large black case.
Unlike most British court hearings, divorce proceedings are heard in private, and the door of Court 34 bore a sign reading “No Admittance – Strictly Private.”
The hearing before Justice Hugh Bennett is scheduled to last five days. The terms of any settlement would not become public record unless it moved to the Court of Appeal, or either of the parties chooses to reveal details.
That has not stopped a frenzy of media interest and speculation. Dozens of photographers staked out entrances to the court Monday, while two news helicopters hovered overhead.
Press reports have suggested that McCartney has offered his wife around $50 million, and that she is seeking at least double that amount.
“Current estimates suggest that Heather is likely to receive anything from 50 million to 100 million pounds ($100-200 million) as her final settlement,” said Suzanne Kingston, a family law expert.
“The fact that this has been a short marriage will be taken into account and this could involve looking at the wealth that has been generated during the course of the marriage as distinct from premarital wealth,” Kingston added.
Mills intends to represent herself. She fired her lawyers in November after a series of interviews in which she accused McCartney of failing to protect her and their 4-year-old daughter Beatrice from abuse, which she says ranges from lies and slander to death threats.
“We’ve had death threats, I’ve been close to suicide. I’m so upset about this,” she said in one of her November interviews. “I’ve had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer, and I’ve done nothing but charity for 20 years.”
“I am the one that is abused daily,” she added.
“I have protected Paul for this long and I am trying to protect him but I am being pushed to the edge and I don’t want my daughter when she is 12 going on the Internet and reading this totally one-sided story.”
Mills’ left leg was amputated below the knee after a motorcycle accident in 1993, and she became active in campaigning against land mines, as patron of Adopt-A-Minefield.
The couple married in June 2002, and their daughter was born in October the following year. They announced their separation in 2006, and McCartney filed for divorce alleging “unreasonable behavior” by his wife.
HEATHER Mills will be hopping around on her own in divorce court next week. The soon-to-be ex-wife of Paul McCartney plans to represent herself in a bid to win a substantial chunk of the ex-Beatle’s $1.6 billion fortune – but she’s ready to accept whatever happens, her flack says. “She’s preparing for it and is in good spirits,” Michelle Elyzabeth told Page Six. “Whichever way it goes is OK with her. She’s got to get on with her life.” The one-legged former nudie model had been represented by Mishcon de Reya, but the powerhouse matrimonial law firm severed ties last year, claiming she owed them millions in unpaid legal bills.
The former glamour model has run up the huge debt during her bitter divorce battle with estranged husband, Sir Paul McCartney.
Now legal firm Mishcon de Reya are ready to go to court to force Heather to pay up.
A source tells The Daily Mail: “Heather has been told she has to make steps to clear the debt. She has been told that a writ is as good as on its way.
“Mishcon is acting as any business that is concerned about recovering a bad debt would.
“The firm worked tirelessly in difficult circumstances for Heather and it is now concerned it may not get its money.’
“Mishcon is concerned that Heather could get a nominal settlement of a few million pounds.
“But because she has other debts to clear, there is a worry that Mishcon will be at the back of the queue.â€
The law firm is believed to have contacted Heather last week and again this week, warning her to start to clear the debt or face legal proceedings.
Maybe she’ll have to reconsider that sex guide after all.
