LONDON — Heather Mills McCartney accused Paul McCartney of failing to protect her and their 3-year-old daughter Beatrice from abuse, which she says ranges from lies and slander to death threats.
Breaking her recent silence about issues surrounding their divorce case, Mills McCartney gave two television interviews Wednesday. She also announced that she would seek European legislation to compel newspapers to apologize for untruthful stories.
“Do you fear for your life?” she was asked in a British Broadcasting Corp. television interview.
“Yes I do, yes I do,” she said.
“And you are saying that Paul McCartney does not protect you and your child?”
“I’m afraid not,” Mills McCartney said.
She also appeared earlier in the day on an ITV television morning show, saying she had taken precautions because of death threats.
“I have a box of evidence that’s going to a certain person, should anything happen to me, so if you top me off it’s still going to that person, and the truth will come out,” she said.
“There is so much fear from a certain party of the truth coming out that lots of things have been put out and done, so the police came ‘round and said, ‘You have had serious death threats from an underground movement.’ “
On the BBC, she was asked if the tabloid newspapers were at fault.
“It’s the tabloids and a certain party, but it is so extreme and so abusive … I mean, I’ve been called monster, whore, gold digger, fantasist, liar.”
“When you say certain party, do you mean someone from Paul McCartney’s camp?” BBC reporter Maxine Mawhinney asked.
“I’m not allowed to talk about Paul and the court case and all that kind of stuff, because we are in court,” Mills McCartney said.
“But it is, by clear implication, that’s what you’re saying,” BBC reporter Jon Sopel said.
“I can’t say, because I’d be in contempt of court. But you’re not stupid, that’s all I can say.”
Paul McCartney, 65, declined to respond. “There’s no comment from our side,” said his spokesman, Stuart Bell.
Mills McCartney, who is still negotiating a financial settlement in the divorce case, urged the public to stop buying sensationalist newspapers.
“We’ve had death threats, I’ve been close to suicide. I’m so upset about this,” she said on the ITV show. “I’ve had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer, and I’ve done nothing but charity for 20 years.”
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