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.

Heather Mills

The night Heather went from samba to doing the bump

Heather Mills has taken her first tumble on Dancing With The Stars, an embarrassing slip-up on live TV that may provoke a wry smile from Sir Paul McCartney.

His estranged wife managed to laugh it off and, more importantly, still impressed the judges.

The tumble happened towards the end of Heather's routine.

The 39-year-old, who has a prosthetic left leg, fell during a samba routine with partner Jonathan Roberts on the US show last night.

It happened in the final movement when Mills put her leg on his chest. After lifting her right leg she lost her balance and collapsed to the dance floor.

Heather gathers her composure after sliding across the floor.

As Roberts helped her up she giggled and shook her head while the couple were treated to a round of applause from the audience.

Still smiling: Heather puts on a brave face.

Heather has spoken openly about the challenges of performing with a prosthetic leg.

Mills, who is embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Sir Paul, was uninjured.

And despite her mistake she scored one of the highest marks of the night — 21 out of 30.

Heather still received praised from the judges.

Judge Carrie Anne Inaba praised her as a “free spirit”. British judge Len Goodman described the dance as a “very good performance”, while Bruno Tonioli, her biggest fan, said she was a “disco diva”.

Earlier, film of the couple rehearsing showed Mills insisting on her 26-year-old partner having his chest hair removed — and Roberts grimacing in pain as it was waxed.

Heather's dance partner proves he's a true fan.

Heather Mills

Viewers in backlash as Heather appears on America's Strictly Come Dancing

Heather Mills has suffered a vicious on-line backlash after she made her debut on American TV show Dancing With The Stars.

Angry viewers, many of them Beatles fans, posted abusive messages on the website of broadcaster ABC, which models the show on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

VIDEO: Watch Heather Mills in action

Heather Mills: Made her debut on the US version of Strictly Come Dancing. The judges praised her but she failed to win over viewers

The combination of her divorce battle over Sir Paul McCartney's £825 million, coupled with the spectacle of Ms Mills being the first contestant to appear with an artificial leg, has captivated America in the run-up to the fourth series.

Fans left messages online calling Heather is a disgrace and wooden

Although she drew plaudits from the judges on TV, many viewers were not as generous.
Nonie823 declared: "She looked as wooden as her leg, so get rid of her."

An excited Heather shows off her fancy footwork

Olive71 said: "Heather is a disgrace - not sure how she rates to be on Dancing With The Stars.
She is a nobody and only became a somebody when she married the best Rock Musician, Paul. America, boot her off."

Getting an energy boost from a banana before she starts recording the demanding show

Mikesnf wrote: "Let's all plot to get rid of this woman.
I'm not watching the show nor will I be until she's gone ... I'll vote like crazy to get rid of Heather Mills."

Heather has a lighthearted moment while waiting for the results

But lmillen wrote: "She did a great job, regardless of her disability. She is brave and beautiful," while an amputee wrote that her grace was "impressive".
Another viewer accused ABC of "exploiting the disabled".

Heather takes a breather as she puts on her 'dancing leg'

Ms Mills, 39, who lost part of her leg in an accident with a police motorbike in 1993, has said it is unlikely her prosthetic limb will fall off during the show.

However online gambling sites are taking bets on it happening.

Fellow contestant, former supermodel Paulina Porizkova said: "If she comes on and shows how warm and wonderful and gracious she is, the people are just going to go for her.

However if she doesn't, she's screwed."

Were Ms Mills to win, huge stardom is assured. Dancing With the Stars attracted 27.5 million viewers for the finale of its third series.

She danced the foxtrot with professional partner Jonathan Roberts and received a standing ovation from some of the audience after she ended the routine with a high kick.

The three judges awarded 18 marks out of 30, and the couple were a respectable seventh out of 11.

The public begin voting off contestants, who include world female boxing champion Laila Ali, the daughter of Muhammad Ali, and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, next week.

Ms Mills said: "I'm just glad I did not fall over. I thought I would be lowest so I am pleased."

She has denied she is appearing on the show as a publicity stunt or for financial reasons and says she wants to inspire viewers with disabilities.

Heather Mills

Heather Mills in pig farm raid to highlight 'cruelty'

Heather Mills has revealed she entered an industrial pig farm at the dead of night as part of a campaign to highlight alleged animal cruelty.

She led a team from the vegetarian group Viva! in a raid on a Somerset farm two weeks ago.

Watch the video here

Heather crouching in the dark next to a 'caged' pig

Miss Mills went on to the farm to point out the use of farrowing crates, which she calls "cages" and "prisons".

The crates are narrow pens with concrete floors. They are used for sows when they are giving birth and suckling their piglets.

They are so narrow that the sows cannot turn around. There is an escape area at the bottom which allows piglets to run out and avoid being trampled by their mothers.

Miss Mills highlights the 'cruel conditions' that the pigs are forced to live in

But although the crates have attracted Miss Mills’s ire, they are legal and widely used worldwide.

And last night the owner of the farm she visited threatened to take her to court for trespass and suggested the Viva! team might have brought disease on to his property.

Miss Mills will is launching a campaign calling for the Government to outlaw the crates.

She will also make a specific attack on Marks & Spencer for accepting meat from farms which use the crates. She will use the message: "This is not just torture – this is M&S torture."

Illuminated by torchlight in the night-time raid

Miss Mills found time to take part in the farm raid while at the centre of the maelstrom surrounding her divorce from Sir Paul McCartney.

Footage shows her putting on overalls and disinfecting her boots before touring sheds on the farm, where 3,500-4,000 pigs are reared at any time.

Miss Mills says she is doing nothing illegal. But entering private premises without permission would appear to be trespassing, a civil offence.

She expresses outrage at the use of the crates and the general conditions in which the pigs are reared. Some 70 per cent of all pigs raised in the UK start their lives in farrowing crates.

The filming took place at Briarwood Farm, at Greinton, near Bridgwater. But owner Michael Underhill knew nothing of it until contacted by the Daily Mail. He said: "This is trespass, I intend to take legal action over this. We can’t just have people coming on to the farm whenever they choose.

"There are risks of disease being carried into the buildings. We have had some sickness in the piglets recently, we don’t know where it came from, but these people could have brought disease on to the farm. They don’t know the harm they are causing."

Pulling on her boots. But the farmer claims disease could have been brought onto his property

He said he was doing nothing wrong. "Farrowing crates are widely used. They are there to protect the piglets from being trampled and coming to harm. They are a welfare measure."

A Marks & Spencer spokesman said: "M&S has leading animal welfare standards and has been recognised for these by both the RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming.

"We are disappointed Viva! is taking this action as we met and told them before Christmas that we were phasing out the use of farrowing crates.

"All our fresh pork is already outdoor bred – which accounts for 30 per cent – and we have committed to moving to free range."

Viva! director Juliet Gellatley, a friend of Miss Mills, denied taking disease on to the farm. She said: "None of the people involved had been on another pig farm for a very long time. They wore biosecure suits and new, disinfected boots."

Heather Mills

Heather demands £10,000 a day from Sir Paul 'to get by'

Heather Mills is demanding £10,000 a day as part of her bitter divorce pay-off from Sir Paul McCartney.

The former model is considering a "high-speed" settlement with her estranged husband with a minimum cash payout of £3.5 million a year - for a total of at least £40 million.

Heather Mills is considering a quickie divorce with a minimum cash payout of £3.5 million a year

Mills, 39, has calculated the amount after drawing up a list of her annual cash commitments and says she needs the money to "get by".

But Sir Paul looks set to reject the offer, claiming he is not worth as much as everyone thinks he is.

One of the singer's friends said: "It's amazing. When you consider her humble beginnings, £10,000 a day is a phenomenal sum to cover her needs. It's as much as some Premiership footballers earn. Many people have to work a year for what she wants to bank in a day.

"Heather is making extremely large demands considering the brevity of the marriage.

"Paul wants to be as generous as possible but the trouble is his fortune has been grossly exaggerated."

The 64-year-old former Beatle has argued that he is worth "considerably less" than the £825 million fortune he has been alleged to be possess. The couple's bitter divorce battle saw them to come face-to-face last week as they appeared three times in the High Court.

It was hoped that they might split in a "quickie divorce" which would avoid both appearing in court, but the hearings could now drag on for months and possibly into next year.

Leaked divorce papers showed Ms Mills claims that Sir Paul poured wine over her, stabbed her arm with a broken wine glass, pushed her over a coffee table and shoved her over into a bath when she was pregnant with their daughter Beatrice. Sir Paul has denied all the claims.

Heather Mills