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PEACE OFFER TO HEATHER FROM ‘WAR-WEARY’ SIR PAUL

SIR Paul McCartney has sanctioned a £25million divorce offer in his bitter battle with estranged
wife Heather Mills.

bv Fiona Cummins, Showbiz Reporter
Lawyers for both parties have been locked in “intense and heightened” talks.

A source close to the case said: “This is the closest we’ve been to an agreement.”

It is hoped that the warring couple will formally settle within the month.

Macca, 64, ordered his legal team to act to avoid a humiliating and messy court case.

In leaked documents, Heather alleged he had stabbed her with a glass and shoved her while she was
pregnant.

It is the first time the former Beatle has voluntarily agreed to open negotiations.

One close pal revealed: “He is absolutely determined to keep his private life hidden from public
scrutiny.

“The divorce has been dragging on nine months.

There’s war weariness creeping in.”

Heather, 39, is expected to receive a lump sum. Their daughter Beatrice, three, is likely to have
her own trust fund. A legal insider confirmed there had been “feverish” discussions between lawyers
for both sides over the past 10 days.

The insider said: “It isn’t simply a matter of him making an offer and it being accepted. There are
other issues at stake.

“But they are almost there. The channels of communication have opened up significantly in the last
week or so. There have been intense and heightened conversations.

“It is the first time a deal has been mentioned and both sides hope a settlement will be formally
reached in the next month.

“Unless there is a major hiccup, this will not be going to court.”

Terms will be drawn up by the same lawyers who thrashed out Charles and Diana’s divorce - Anthony
Julius from Mishcon de Reya and Fiona Shackleton from Payne Hicks Beach.

Their teams have been holding “detailed” discussions since Macca made his offer.

He is thought to have acted after Heather’s sister, Fiona Mills, accused him of putting the life of
his wife and daughter at risk by failing to pay for bodyguards to protect them from death threats.
The date for the official divorce hearing, pencilled in for spring, is also drawing closer.

The deal is less than expected and a fraction of Macca’s £825million fortune. But the couple were
only married for four years and Sir Paul claimed to have lost £2million in a year with his Back In
The World tour.

While Macca is keen to avoid his private life becoming public property in court, a deal also means
Heather will not run the risk of having her case demolished by his legal team.

Friends of the former model said she was feeling “very depressed” at the moment. She is currently in
the US.

Meanwhile Fiona has posted a fresh outburst on Heather’s website. She disputed claims her sister
once drew £1million from Macca’s bank, saying: “How ridiculous. Are they saying that someone as
money-savvy as Paul keeps one million pounds in his current account? I don’t think so.”

Both Heather’s lawyers, Mishcon de Reya, and Sir Paul’s spokesman last night declined to comment.