Heather Mills: Paul McCartney’s ex-wife ‘struggled’ to live in his family home with photos of first wife Linda

Paul McCartney’s ex-wife Heather Mills struggled to live in his family home, a friend has claimed.

A documentary showing the life of the former model and her tumultuous relationship with The Beatles musician Paul McCartney aired on Channel 5 this week.

The 90-minute TV special sees Heather Mills’ friend Pamela Cockerill open up about the early days of Heather’s marriage with Paul and how their divorce caused a media storm.

Pamela revealed that Heather found it difficult living in Paul’s Rye home in East Sussex - which he bought with his first wife Linda in 1973.

The home was decorated with plaques and photos dedicated to Linda, who died of breast cancer in 1998.

Pamela said: “I think Heather found it quite hard to live in the same house that, only a couple of years before, Linda had been living in, and the house hadn’t been changed that much. Linda was an inescapable presence because obviously, she was a big part of Paul’s life.

“There were little plaques saying ‘I love Linda’ over the doorways and photos of her around. It must have been very hard to deal with.”

It is also claimed that Paul and Heather’s relationship was “volatile from the beginning” as both were strong characters.

Pamela explained: “They were such strong characters.

“They were both used to having their own way. Before they got married, there was a big row in a hotel room in America, and [Heather’s] engagement ring got thrown out of the window.

“I don’t know who flung it out, but the next day, the staff were all going around with metal detectors, and they recovered the ring.”

The couple met in 1999 at the Pride of Britain Awards in London, following the death of The Beatles musician’s wife Linda a year earlier.

The Beatles musician proposed on 23 July 2001, and they married in a lavish wedding in Glaslough, Ireland, in 2002.

The couple announced they were having a child in May 2003, and Heather gave birth to Beatrice Milly McCartney on 28 October 2003.

They separated three years later, on 17 May 2006, and their divorce was finalised in 2008, with Heather Mills receiving £23 million in cash and assets.

The Trials of Heather Mills documentary is available to watch now on My5.