McCartney Divorce Judge Says Mills Was `Her Own Worst Enemy'
By James Lumley and Caroline Byrne
March 18 (Bloomberg) -- Heather Mills, the estranged wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney, can blame herself for getting less than the 125 million pounds ($252 million) she had sought in the divorce case, a judge said.
``To some extent she is her own worst enemy,'' Judge Hugh Bennett said in a 58-page ruling that lays out the legal wrangling between 65-year-old McCartney and his 40-year-old wife. ``If the wife feels aggrieved about what I propose she only has herself to blame.''
Bennett awarded Mills 24.3 million pounds ($49 million) yesterday after her four-year marriage fell apart in 2006. The award includes a 16.5 million lump sum payment from McCartney and 7.8 million pounds of her own assets.
Mills has an ``explosive and volatile'' character, and her testimony was inaccurate and inconsistent, the judge said. At times, the former Beatle was driven to ``justifiable irritation, if not anger,'' Bennett said. The decision was released after Mills lost a bid at a London Court of Appeal to stop publication.
James Swede, senior partner at Darlingtons, the firm that represented Mills at the Court of Appeal today, said he couldn't immediately comment. Anthony Julius, Mills's former lawyer at Mishcon de Reya, declined to comment.
Mills said she was looking forward to moving on and relieved the divorce was settled in a statement on her Web site yesterday.
``I have enormous respect for a judicial system that allows an individual to represent themselves,'' Mills said. ``No matter how significant the opposition.''
`Wholly Unrealistic'
Bennett said it was ``wholly unrealistic'' of Mills to expect to continue enjoying the same lifestyle she had when married to McCartney, whose assets were valued by the court at 400 million pounds.
Mills was ``swept off her feet'' by marrying such a famous man, the judge said. ``I think this may well have warped her perception leading her to indulge in make-belief,'' he said.
Mills denied in court that ``her case boils down to the syndrome of `me, too' or 'if he has it, I want it too,'' the judge wrote.
While the judge said he had no doubt McCartney found Mills, attractive, the musician's emotional ties during the early years of their relationship were to his former wife, Linda. McCartney was still grieving years after Linda died from breast cancer in 1998, Bennett added.
Fiona Shackleton, McCartney's lawyer, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
To contact the reporter on this story: James Lumley in London at jlumley1@bloomberg.net. To contact the reporter on this story: Caroline Byrne in London at cbyrne12@bloomberg.net.