Heather Mills
- Profession: Gold digger
- Place/Date of Birth: Aldershot, Hampshire, 12 January 2021
- Associated with: Paul McCartney
It was clear that the show’s makers viewed the former model as one of their biggest draws.
They kept fans hanging on by constantly suggesting she was about to dance, but Heather’s performance was actually the penultimate one on the two-hour programme.
The viewing figures were the show’s best ever for an opening night.
Dancing With The Stars is the second most popular reality show in the US, behind Simon Cowell’s American Idol.
Heather and partner Jonathan Roberts scored 18 out of 30 for their foxtrot.
Heather faces online backlash - Mar 21 2007
Heather Mills’ debut on US TV contest Dancing With The Stars provoked an abusive online backlash.
Viewers flooded broadcaster ABC’s website with messages about Sir Paul McCartney’s estranged wife.
Many focused angrily on her divorce battle with the former Beatle, saying she should never have been picked for the show.
But others supported her choice to enter the gruelling dance competition given that she only has one leg.
Heather and partner Jonathan Roberts scored 18 out of 30 for her foxtrot last night - and in the end it was her upper body movement that drew criticism.
Six other couples were ahead of them in the rankings but they left four more trailing in their wake.
On the website, Olive71 urged fellow viewers: "America boot her off."
She added: "Heather is a disgrace, not sure how she rates to be on Dancing With The Stars.
"She is a nobody and only became a somebody when she married the best rock musician, Paul."
Mikesnf wrote: "Let’s all plot to get rid of this woman.
"I’m not watching the show nor will I be until she’s gone... I’ll vote like crazy to get rid of Heather Mills."
Others stuck up for Heather however.
Harleyblues wrote: "Regardless of Heather’s private life... Heather did quite well!!
"Better than some of the other contestants. Lots of courage and guts. I applaud her."
Heather prepares to dance with the stars - Mar 20 2007
After Heather Mills announced she would be a contestant on Dancing With The Stars, triggering a string of headlines, the high-profile US show finally kicks off.
The American version of Strictly Come Dancing will also star American celebs including former NSync star Joey Fatone, Muhammad Ali’s boxing daughter Laila, basketball star Clyde Drexler and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.
The former Beatle’s estranged wife, whose left leg was amputated below the knee after a motorbike accident in 1993, has said she is taking part to prove it is possible to do anything with an artificial leg.
And the show’s executive producer has previously revealed that she was approached because of her disability, not thanks to her high-profile divorce.
The 39-year-old has already said she will wear a special strap to stop her prosthetic limb flying off.
Previous contestants in the US show have included former heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield, Rod Stewart’s ex-wife model Rachel Hunter and perma-tanned actor George Hamilton.
Heather: Paul dragging out divorce - Mar 16 2007
Heather Mills has accused her estranged husband, former Beatle Paul McCartney of dragging out their divorce deal.
In one of a string of media interviews - this time for Sky News - she was asked when the divorce would be finalised.
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Heather Mills has definitely got one hell of a story, she was born in 1968, her mother left the family home when she nine, leaving Heather to care for her siblings under the watchful eye of an abusive father. Heather ran away from home at thirteen and found herself homeless, living under Waterloo arches for four months.
She was eventually "discovered" and started modelling, it wasn’t long after that at the age of 22, that she moved to Northern Yugoslavia, now Slovenia, for a holiday and eventually ended up moving there to build a new life and become a ski instructor. Whilst out there she witnessed the outbreak of civil war and the effect it had on many of her friends. On her return to England she set up a refugee crisis centre, funded by the modelling work that she was still doing, she continued her charity work over the next two years when tragedy struck, on a visit to the UK.
In August 1993, Heather was involved in a road accident with a police motorcycle. Her injuries included crushed ribs, a punctured lung, and multiple fractures of the pelvis and the loss of her left leg below the knee. Realising her modelling career would now possibly be over, she summoned the press into her hospital room and sold her story.
Through the adjustment of returning to ’normal’ life with one leg, Heather found a practical problem that she felt she could solve. Her residual limb, or stump as she prefers to call it, was fitted with an artificial limb. But due to the nature of the wound changing in shape and size, the prosthetic leg had to be continually replaced, whilst the old leg would be discarded. Heather realised that if the redundant prosthesis would never find another use, there must be literally thousands out there just waiting for a new home. With her experiences in the former Yugoslavia, Heather knew that these redundant limbs would be more than welcome in areas such as the Former Yugoslavia.
Heather instigated a nation-wide appeal for the donation of unwanted prostheses, and then employed the services of the inmates at Brixton prison to dismantle the limbs and make them ready for transport. October 1994, just a year after her accident, the first convoy of artificial limbs and medical equipment left for Zargreb. Arriving at the Institute of Prosthetics in Zargreb the limbs were now ready to be fitted. Over 22,000 amputees and victims of land-mine explosions have been helped since the first Convoy left the U.K.
It was not long after that at the young age of 25 that Heather wrote her biography, whilst most 25 year olds could hardly fill a chapter, Heather had a real story to tell. ’Out on a Limb’ landed straight onto The Times’ best-seller list as well as appearing in the 1997 Reader’s Digest Best non-fiction compilation. The proceeds from the book go to raising money for child amputee war victim’s world-wide (although the most publicised are in the Former Yugoslavia). All Heather’s charity work has funded from her own pocket.
Heather has been given many accolades and awards for her work for charity. Former Prime Minister John Major presented her with the Gold Award for Outstanding Achievement; The Times presented her with their Human Achievement Award, and the British Chamber of Commerce not only named her Outstanding Young Person of the Year, but also named an award after her - the Heather Mills Award. If this was not enough, in 1996 she received a nomination for The Nobel Prize and has since received the 1999 "People of the Year Award", The "Cosmopolitan Woman of Achievement 2000 Award", The "Pantene Spirit of Beauty Award" and the "Woman of the Year" by the Blue Drop Group in Sicily as well as lots more.
Heather collected the "REDBROOK Mother & Shakers Award", presented by Hillary Clinton, and she received the Victory Award hosted by the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington DC.
If that was not enough, Heather has also done a lot of TV work presenting for programmes such as That’s Esther.
In her personal life, she found temporary happiness with ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney. Despite some rather obvious objections from Paul’s daughter Stella, the couple married in 2002 and had a daughter together.
In 2006 both Paul and Heather made a joint statement confirming their separation, after Paul McCartney filed for divorce, citing ‘unreasonable behaviour’. What has followed has been a media storm, with Heather at the heart of the controversy.
The main allegations is that she merely married Sir Paul for his money and fame, with British papers suggesting that this could be the biggest divorce settlement ever witnessed. Heather has always denied the allegation of being a ‘gold digger’, claiming that the separation and process of divorce is ‘worse than losing my leg’.
Alongside her threat to sue national papers over ‘false, damaging and immensely upsetting’ reports about the divorce, it has also been reported that Heather has received death threats since splitting with her husband.
In January 2003, a settlement was announced between the two parties, believed to amount to £32 million, plus a gagging order.
November 2007