Heather Mills awarded £24.3m divorce settlement from Paul McCartney

Mar 17 2008

HEATHER Mills was today awarded £24.3 million in her bitter divorce from Sir Paul McCartney - and immediately announced she was to fight on.

Miss Mills said she was "so pleased it's over" before revealing that she is to continue her legal battle as early as tomorrow by challenging the publication of the ruling.

The judgment said she had sought £125 million and been offered £15.8 million by Sir Paul.

The judge decided on a lump sum of £16.5 million and assets of £7.8 million.

Speaking on the steps of the High Court, she insisted she was "very very happy" with the decision.

Surrounded by a throng of reporters she said that the settlement secured her own future and that of her and Sir Paul's daughter Beatrice - as well as her charities.

Describing herself as a "campaigning girl" she called on people to represent themselves in court but urged couples to do their best to resolve their problems immediately.

She said: "I'm so glad it's over, it was an incredible result in the end to secure mine and my daughter's future and that of all the charities that I obviously plan on helping and making a difference with - because you know it has been my life for 20 years.

"Obviously the court do not want a litigant in person to do well, it's against everything that they ever wish, so when they write the judgment up they're never going to make it look in favour.

"But all of you that have researched know that it was always going to be a figure between 20 and 30 million, Paul was offering a lot less than that, which you'll see in the judgment, and very much last minute to put me and Beatrice sadly through this ... incredibly sad."

Miss Mills insisted her parting from her own lawyers Mishcon de Reya had been amicable but said the firm wanted to charge her an extra £600,000 to do the trial, `"which could easily go to charity''.

But she lashed out at Sir Paul's legal representative Fiona Shackleton, who she said had "handled this in the worst manner you could ever, ever imagine".

Miss Mills claimed: "She has called me many, many names before even meeting me when I was in a wheelchair."

Urging others to follow her example and represent themselves, she cited "the power of one" and insisted "the Law Courts do not want me to say this".

Standing alongside her sister Fiona, Mills made an impassioned statement to the waiting media from the steps of the Law Courts.

She said: "I'm so glad it's over. It was an incredible result in the end to secure mine and Beatrice's future and all the charities I plan on helping."

She said the only reason she was speaking out was because Sir Paul had "insisted" on the whole judgment being published.
That aspect was the only reason why she planned to launch an appeal "tomorrow morning".

She wanted it to stay private as the judgment involved matters relating to her daughter, such as where she went to school and what she did.