Apparently neither love nor a mutual dislike of fur and landmines were enough to keep Paul McCartney, 63, and Heather Mills, 38, together. In a statement on his site, McCartney said the couple had "found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives," and that they were going their "separate ways" after four years of marriage.
The statement continues, "Our parting is amicable and both of us still care about each other very much but have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives, and we have actively tried to protect the privacy of our child. Separation for any couple is difficult enough, but to have to go through this so publicly, especially with a small daughter, is immensely stressful. We hope, for the sake of our baby daughter, that we will be given some space and time to get through this difficult period."
Sir Paul and former model Mills met in 1999 at a charity event for her Heather Mills Health Trust, which recycles prosthetic limbs and campaigns against landmines. Mills lost a leg in 1993 after being hit by a police motorcycle as she crossed a road. The couple married in a lavish shindig at 17th Century Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland in June of 2002 that included coaches, a helicopter, a lakeside dance floor, and leprechauns as ushers - okay, I made the last part up.
They had a daughter, Beatrice, in 2003. McCartney had three children with his first wife, the former Linda Eastman, to whom he was married from 1969 until her death from breast cancer in 1998. Mary (b. '69) is a photographer (as was her mother); Stella ('71) is a renowed fashion designer; and James ('77) is a musician.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Victor Lana
Eric, can we be surprised by this? I think not. SHe will get half of his wealth. I imagine she will go out and buy a few fur coats afterwards (just kidding). I feel sorry for Paul, but I read his children warned him before the marriage (and rightly so).
Paul was on the rebound and really not ready for marriage but no doubt he was lonely (all the lonely people...). I'm sure he won't make the same mistake again (though, if he's interested, Anna Nicole Smith is available).
What celeb marriage will be next?
Tom & Katie?
Brad & Anglina?
Vince & Jen?
Oh, right, these couples aren't even married yet. Maybe this is a wake-up call to them all.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Maybe he's amazed at the way she took half his stuff
Maybe he's afraid of the alimony
3 - Victor Lana
Suss, I'm sure he's going to get bilked big time. Yesterday all his troubles seemed so far away. Now, without a pre-nup it seems they're here to stay, but I'm sure he still believes in yesterday.
4 - Dawn
That's just wrong you two, just wrong. We all know that the taxman gets all his money anyway.
5 - DJRadiohead
Do we know there was no prenup?
Got to get you out of my life...
Sorry, everyone else was playing. I wanted a turn, too.
6 - Sister Ray
I don't know enough about her to assume she's a golddigger. I admit that if a former Beatle asked me to marry him, I might accept :->
Hope everything is amicable, esp. for the kid's sake.
7 - sal m
i was going to make a tasteless joke along the lines of when this divorce goes to court, she'll have a leg to stand on if there's no pre-nup, but i have chosen not to.
8 - NR Davis
Guess she won't need him, guess she won't feed him... in about a month.
In all seriousness, this news saddens me. Mills doesn't have to be a golddigger in this situation, though. Perhaps the truth is just what they say - the high-profile/media exposure thing killed them. I'm sure that's often the case in their world. Maybe they'll reconcile and, er, get back to where they once belonged. Hope so. In any event, I wish them and Beatrice the peace and privacy they seek and every happiness.
9 - Chelsea Snyder
I can't help but wonder if they had a shot even if they weren't publicly scrutinized. There are celebrity couples that make it work despite the publicity, like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, or Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe...and...well, that's about it ... but if love is meant to be, then it will happen, regardless of the situation. Right? Right?
Okay. Just let me be idealistic for a little bit.
10 - Eric Olsen
I was feeling wistful and didn't include the money part: Paulie is worth about $1.5 billion, and there is no prenup because he refused one. She will do reasonably well for herself.
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
Chelsea, you forgot Filliam H. Muffman.
12 - Victor Lana
$1.5 bil, Eric? Uh, man, that's just...so sad. Paul might be thinking, "Hmmm, happiness is a warm gun" but he'll not get away with it, and there's not a chance that Heather "will shoot her mind out in a car" because she'll definitely notice the light has changed in order to drive over to divorce court.
Paul better get his band on the run and helter skelter across the globe on a world tour to make up for the loss. He just better leave the songs "And I Love Her" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the playlist.
13 - DJRadiohead
Half a bill is an expensive piece of tail but Sir McCartney will still be all right.
All crudeness aside, I am sure media pressures didn't help but McCartney has been a famous guy for awhile and held one marriage together until death did them part. Media scrutiny can't have helped but it seems a bit rubbish to blame them for the divorce.
14 - NR Davis
Ms. Snyder, the truth is that the answer to your uestion is no. Love isn't always enough. One can forge a successful marriage without love and one can be unable to maintain a relationship with someone you love deeply and passionately. Love is wonderful. Enjoy it and cherish it if and while you have it, but "love conquers all" is a myth.
"Now that we love,
Now that the lonely nights are over,
How do we make love stay?"
The challenge, as sung by Dan Fogelberg, as stated by Tom Robbins. Rich, poor, famous, ordinary, everyone can lose at love even with the best of intentions. And most of us have, even those fortunate enough to end up with their soulmate (or with NOT their soulmate). Sir Paul is actually one of the lucky ones - he lost Jane Asher, he's apparently losing Heather Mills, but did he score bigtime with Linda, getting the privilege to spend 20-odd years with her. Many if not most of us will NEVER have what he had with Linda (and perhaps not what he had with Heather Mills before it became unmaintainable). And who knows who might be in the offing? (Or if he needs someone to be there to need and feed him?) No doubt he'll work it out in whatever way suits him, and so with Mills. I hope so.
15 - Thomas M. Sipos
A pre-nup wouldn't help. They have a kid. Even with a pre-nup, Heather can demand, say, $10 million a month for "child support" (which often goes to the mom).
16 - Mechele
what happened to Jennifer Lopez wasn't she supposed to get married a while ago.
17 - Eric Olsen
whoa, J-Lo is so 1999
18 - Eric Olsen
and Victor, way back in #1, no, we probably shouldn't be surprised by this
19 - Manon Maru
Paul McCartney has such a sweet media persona, I just want everything to turn out hunky dory for him, but at his age I'm doubting he's going to run out of money or anything. And I imagine he wants to be able to share his wealth with her if he still loves her, what else is he going to spend that money on in the next 10-20 years? Fancy stuff to put in his coffin?
20 - Victor Lana
Paul James McCartney was born June 18, 1942. Kind of gives new meaning to these words he wrote in 1968:
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four.
21 - NR Davis
Mr. Lana, see #8.
22 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Without that pre-nup, you're nowhere, man.
That's it, that's all you get.
23 - Mark Sahm
Just curious: do any of you married folk here actually have a pre-nup? It seems like everyone talks about how important it is, yet no one gets it.
I mean, after all, isn't every writer here at BC just one Great American Novel away from being a Megabuckster? :o)
24 - Jewels
Natalie is correct.
Plus, let's realistically look at the age difference. It's like generational.
Inevitable.
25 - Snarkattack
Now gee, there's a surprise.
For a guy who claimed that Linda McCartney was the love of his life, I was somewhat shocked when I first heard about him finding some fresh meat fairly soon after her death.
I guess Stella will be happy, apparently her and Heather didn't get along too well.
Personally I think they divorced because she couldn't hack his awful hair dye job. You'd think he'd be able to afford a half-decent one, sheesh.