Heather Mill's green poster launch hijacked by domestic violence 'pop' at Paul

Making a point: Heather Mills at the poster launch

She was supposed to be launching a poster campaign for an animal welfare charity.

Yet some observers couldn't help wondering if Heather Mills had a different aim in mind - embarrassing her estranged husband Sir Paul McCartney.

For the billboard posters she unveiled yesterday were initially covered over by adverts for the National Domestic Violence Helpline featuring a woman with a black eye.

Miss Mills has previously claimed that she was assaulted by the former Beatle during their marriage.

Last year she even hinted that she was applying for an occupation order, which is commonly used in domestic violence cases to decide who keeps the family home.

Last night animal charity Viva! insisted it was merely a coincidence that its billboards had been covered up by the domestic violence posters.

A spokesman said: "They were for an old campaign that is nothing to do with us."

The violence posters were eventually removed to reveal the Viva! billboards featuring Miss Mills, which accuse the meat and dairy industry of helping to fuel global warming.

But still the 39-year- old former model wasn't clear of controversy. She provoked accusations of hypocrisy after she arrived at the launch at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in a gas-guzzling Mercedes 4x4 - and kept the engine running for part of the morning.
Mixed message: A domestic violence poster covered the Viva! billboard

One of the posters features Miss Mills writhing in a gold sequinned dress with the slogan: "Hey Meaty, you're making me so hot!"
Controversial: One of the ads for the Viva! campaign fronted by Heather Mills
Steamy: The billboards are likely to have drivers stopping in their tracks
Speakers' Corner: Heather Mills addresses a crowd of photographers and journalists at the launch of a poster campaign by animals charity Viva!

The second poster shows Miss Mills - whose leg was amputated after a motorbike hit her as she crossed a street - sending herself up with the logo: "You haven't got a leg to stand on!"

The slogan is aimed at those who claim to be environmentally-aware but also eat meat.

Viva! director Juliet Gellatley said: "Meat and dairy animals are the second biggest cause of greenhouse gases at 18 per cent compared to 13.5 per cent from all the world's different modes of transport combined."

Earlier, Miss Mills had stormed out of an interview with Nick Ferrari on LBC radio. Things got off to a bad start when Ferrari asked her about TV and magazine interviews in which she complained about her treatment by the media and said her marriage had driven her to the brink of suicide.

Miss Mills retorted: "Shall I fall asleep now or do you want to get on with talking about global warming?" before making snoring noises.

She added: "You don't know me as a person. To have an opinion about somebody you've never met before is pretty superficial."

Ferrari responded: "I can have an opinion on murderers, on corrupt politicians. I don't have to meet them all."

And Miss Mills hit back: "I am not a murderer or a paedophile. I am a charity campaigner. To put me in the same bracket as those is exactly why I've been treated like one."
Eco-warrior? Heather turned up at Hyde Park in this environmentally UN-friendly 4x4

After several more clashes, Miss Mills said: "Just cut him off" and walked out.

• Sir Paul has joined a campaign to save a post office near one of his homes which faces closure under Royal Mail plans.

"It is a vital part of community life and should be saved for future generations to cherish," he said in a statement read to protesters in Heswall, Wirral.