LONDON - Heather Mills McCartney accused former Beatle Paul McCartney of failing to protect her and their child from abuse, which she says has ranged from lies and slander to death threats.
Breaking her recent silence about issues surrounding their divorce case, Mills McCartney gave two television interviews Wednesday. She also announced that she would seek European legislation to compel newspapers to apologize for untruthful stories.
"Do you fear for your life?'' she was asked in a British Broadcasting Corp. television interview.
"Yes I do, yes I do,'' she said.
"And you are saying that Paul McCartney does not protect you and your child?''
"I'm afraid not,'' Mills McCartney said.
She also appeared earlier in the day on an ITV television morning show, saying she had taken precautions because of death threats.
"I have a box of evidence that's going to a certain person, should anything happen to me, so if you top me off it's still going to that person, and the truth will come out,'' she said.
"There is so much fear from a certain party of the truth coming out that lots of things have been put out and done, so the police came 'round and said 'you have had serious death threats from an underground movement.'''
On the BBC, she was asked if the tabloid newspapers were at fault.
"It's the tabloids and a certain party, but it is so extreme and so abusive ... I mean, I've been called monster, whore, gold digger, fantasist, liar.''
"When you say certain party, do you mean someone from Paul McCartney's camp?'' BBC reporter Maxine Mawhinney asked.
"I can't say that because I'll be done for contempt of court. I'm not allowed to talk about Paul and the court case and all that kind of stuff, because we are in court,'' Mills McCartney said.
"But it is, by clear implication, that's what you're saying,'' BBC reporter Jon Sopel said.
"I can't say, because I'd be in contempt of court. But you're not stupid, that's all I can say.''
Paul McCartney declined to respond. "There's no comment from our side,'' his spokesman Stuart Bell said.
Mills McCartney, who is still negotiating a financial settlement in the divorce case, urged the public to stop buying sensationalist newspapers.
"We've had death threats, I've been close to suicide. I'm so upset about this,'' she said on the ITV show. "I've had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer, and I've done nothing but charity for 20 years.''
The couple announced their separation in May and began divorce proceedings in July. They have a three-year-old daughter, Beatrice.
"I am the one that is abused daily,'' Mills McCartney said.
"I have protected Paul for this long and I am trying to protect him but I am being pushed to the edge and I don't want my daughter when she is 12 going on the Internet and reading this totally one-sided story.''
She denied that she was feeding material to the newspapers.
"I've got 300 friends who came to my daughter's party, and they are biting their tongues not to talk, because they're so loyal,'' she said. "Even a journalist said to my publicist 'her friends are so loyal, we can't even get them to say a word.' Whereas other people's so-called friends are putting stuff out right, left and centre.''
Paul McCartney has also complained about media coverage of the divorce, which may produce the biggest financial settlement ever in Britain.
"There's only one real answer to the massive press coverage -- don't look,'' he said in an interview published in May. "So I don't read it.''
