THE UK: Sir Paul McCartney has separated from Heather Mills McCartney, the second wife he fell for passionately but who struggled to win the approval of his family or the popular press.
The couple announced their split yesterday after less than four years of marriage in a statement that blamed their inability to conduct a "normal" relationship on the "constant intrusion into our private lives". But their parting only triggered a new round of speculation about how much of Sir Paul's estimated £800 million (€1.2 billion) fortune Ms Mills McCartney could claim as the mother of their two-year-old daughter, Beatrice Milly.
Despite the bulk of the former Beatle's fortune being acquired well before meeting the former model at a charity function seven years ago, divorce lawyers estimated that the 38-year-old, who once slept rough under Waterloo Bridge, could pocket up to £200 million. According to Ms Mills McCartney, Sir Paul, who will be 64 next month, refused to sign a prenuptial agreement before their 2002 marriage.