http://media.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,...564271,00.html
John Plunkett
Tuesday December 10, 2002
The Guardian
Sir Paul McCartney's wife Heather Mills McCartney is set to be the latest subject of Channel 4's The Real... documentary series, which seeks to separate the facts from the PR fiction surrounding public figures from Michael Barrymore to Princess Anne.
The former model, who earlier this year famously removed her false leg live on American TV, is not co-operating with Diverse, the independent production company working on the show.
Sources say Mills McCartney is very "concerned" about the programme, over which she has no control.
The producers have drawn up a hit list of people they want to interview for the programme, which is expected to air in the first half of next year.
They have not so far approached Sir Paul.
"We are looking to speak to a wide range of people from across her whole life," said a Channel 4 spokeswoman.
"We have approached Heather but she said no. It will be a compelling look at her life, going back further [than when she first met Sir Paul] and tracing how she ended up where she is today."
Mills McCartney, who is known for her campaigning work on behalf of the victims of landmines and people who have lost limbs, married the former Beatle in June in a lavish £2m ceremony at a 17th century Irish castle.
When she first began seeing Sir Paul, most newspapers charted her extraordinary life with admiration.
Mills McCartney had an unhappy childhood and ran away from home to join a funfair at the age of 15. She ended up sleeping rough in a cardboard box under Waterloo station.
She was also put on probation after being caught stealing from a jewellery shop where she worked.
Mills McCartney lost her left leg in a road accident in 1993, when she was hit by a police motorcycle. Two years ago she received £200,000 in damages.
However, media attitudes have changed towards her over the past six months.
Reports of Mills McCartney's recent trip to America to publicise her updated autobiography fuelled plenty of sniping in the press.
Sunday Mirror columnist Carole Malone wrote: "Mills McCartney was recently quoted as saying: 'This has been the worst year of my life.' However, I suspect it's been a damn sight worse for McCartney's kids, who must look at this attention-seeking fantasist and despair for their dad."
There have been countless stories about her poor relationship with stepdaughter Stella McCartney, who is said to have opposed the marriage.
Diverse is expected to approach friends of the fashion designer for the documentary.
However, Mills McCartney is not known for letting criticism go unchallenged. In October she accepted £50,000 in damages from the Sunday Mirror. In May the paper wrongly claimed the charity commission was investigating her over money collected in an appeal for the victims of an earthquake in India in 2001.
Last year Sir Paul branded the British press "the naughtiest in the world" and accused newspapers of lowering standards.
Mills McCartney continues to campaign for landmine victims. She made headlines across the globe when she whipped off her tailor-made false leg on Larry King Live to demonstrate how lifelike prosthetic limbs can be.
The Real Princess Anne, the latest instalment of the Channel 4 documentary series, was watched by 3.1 million viewers.
A previous edition, The Real Michael Barrymore, was panned by the critics but had just 100,000 fewer viewers.
A Channel 4 spokesman said: "The [Mills McCartney] programme has been commissioned but it is still at the research stage. We have not started filming yet."
Channel 4 plans McCartney exposé
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