As their bitter divorce heads for the High Court, there appears to have been an eleventh-hour thawing of relations between Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills.
Apparently driven by news of Miss Mills's planned "blitzkrieg-style" tactics of representing herself in court next month, the Beatle has let it be known that he is ready to reconsider the possibility of an out-of-court settlement.
Scroll down for more...
It is rumoured Sir Paul wants to do a divorce deal with Heather Mills
The Daily Mail has learned Miss Mills has been contacted by McCartney's legal team at Paynes Hicks Beach with the message: "Paul's ready to talk."
The pair are scheduled to face one another in a five-day hearing next month where Heather is to represent herself after parting company with her legal firm, Mishcon de Reya.
But McCartney has apparently had a sudden attack of anxiety about what might be said about the breakdown of the marriage.
McCartney and Mills have spoken "three or four" times in recent days over the phone, said a source close to both.
"One of the chats went on for at least 15 minutes, which is the longest they have spoken to one another in months and months.
"It seems that the mood has definitely changed and they are both now ready to resolve things more sensibly."
The Mail understands the main thrust of Miss Mills's case will be that marrying the former Beatle ruined any chance of her living a happy and successful life.
"She is going to say that before they met, people liked her and admired her, she was successful, she had her own career and her own income," the source said.
Scroll down for more...
Heather Mills's rant on GMTV has tarnished her public image
"She is going to say that when they got together, he stopped her from having a career.
"She is going to say that now that they have split, she is a hate figure and, as such, unemployable.
"Consequently, she will say, Paul should compensate her financially for the rest of her life. For a woman to argue that her future earning capacity has been damaged by her marriage in this way is extremely unusual but the judge may well consider that she has a point."
The source added that the irony is that she actually revived Sir Paul's career while she lost her own.
"Heather contends that she got Paul emotionally back on track when they first got together. When they first met, he was emotionally ruined by the death of (first wife) Linda - he was a lost soul.
"His music was not going anywhere.
"Heather will argue that the stability she gave him got his career back on track. And a financial settlement for her should also reflect her input in his career turning around."
McCartney is understood to fear what revelations Miss Mills might make in court about why the marriage broke down. Leaked legal documents alleged he was violent and cruel to his wife.
But legal sources pointed out yesterday that while such revelations, even if they had any truth, might be damaging to his image, they would not actually impact on the settlement size.
Miss Mills has also been taking advice from friends on how to soften her prickly image ahead of the court date.
The source said: "When she appeared recently on GMTV, she didn't come across as vulnerable, sympathetic and fragile - she just came across as a bit unhinged. She knows she has this image problem and she has been trying to do something about it.
"She wants to come across less barmy and money-grabbing and more the wronged wife and mother." Publicists for Miss Mills and Sir Paul would not comment yesterday.
Sir Paul tells Heather he's ready to talk about a deal | the Daily Mail
Linear Mode
