UK/FILE: London residents react to the latest developments in the public divorce of former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills as McCartney vows to fight wife's abuse claims

Paul McCartney vowed on Wednesday (October 18) to defend himself in court against accusations published in British newspapers that he physically attacked his estranged wife Heather during their tempestuous four-year marriage. The Daily Mail newspaper reported that Heather Mills McCartney had claimed in court papers lodged by her lawyers that the former Beatle had stabbed her in the arm with a broken wine glass and grabbed her by the neck to choke her. The divorce battle dominated the headline in the tabloids on Thursday (October 19) morning. 'She's out to destroy me ... it's blackmail', screamed one of the most read tabloids, 'Macca: I want custody of Bea" another and "Macca: Now it's getting really dirty'. The sensationalist headlines made the Mills/McCartney divorce a hot topic amongst morning commuters in London. "The claims that she is making are what people do do. People shove and push and things like that. Why should it not be him, just because it's him (McCartney)? On the other hand, she is known for fabricating the truth, so, I was just thinking I can't decide and I don't know how anybody else is going to," London resident Jackie Abbott said. "It depends if it comes out to be true or not, I guess. You are suspicious of her motives but not really knowing the facts it makes you wonder, it makes you wonder whether there was any true relationship there in the first place," said Neil Williams, another London resident. "I've always really liked Paul McCartney so I kind of take his side on it. I don't really believe what she is saying, what she's said about him, I think he's too much of a nice guy to have done that and I think most people will support him instead of her," added Lydia Thompson. Family court documents in England are normally supposed to be confidential. Mills's lawyers refused to confirm the authenticity of the documents, but her representatives said she stood by everything that had been filed in court on her behalf. The acrimonious collapse of the couple's four-year marriage has been front page news in Britain, where McCartney is seen as a national icon. However, few London residents expected the latest claims to tarnish McCartney's public image. "He's got a lot of fans perfectly behind him so I wouldn't say it would affect him that much. I bet they are all lies anyway, that's what it normally is, to get money," said Luke Beaugorman. "I don't think it will ever damage him because he will always be the Beatle. It's Lennon and McCartney. And I think people are more outraged at what she is doing to this icon," Marcia McNab said. "And also I think he had such a successful marriage with his ex-wife and they know what a good marriage they had and that, you know, she is just, she's out for revenge really, I think. And I think she should be looking after their daughter, myself. That's what I think," her friend Anna Gillett added. McCartney, 64, and former model Mills, 38, announced their separation in May, blaming media intrusion for the failure of one of the most high-profile marriages in show business. The divorce has turned into a public battle for sympathy fought out under a glaring media spotlight. The couple have hired the same lawyers that represented modern Britain's most famous divorcees -- Prince Charles and Princess Diana. McCartney could lose up to a quarter of his estimated 825 million pound (1.55 billion U.S. dollar) fortune. That would equate to about one million pounds for each week of their marriage. At first McCartney and Mills said that for the sake of their daughter the break-up would be amicable. But since then, celebrity-obsessed tabloids have been peppered with tales of the separation. Lurid allegations about her past were countered with tales about her being locked out of the family home.

ITN Source | October 26, 2006

Tags:. .lies. .icon. .broken. .anna. .physically