The publicist representing Heather Mills yesterday confirmed he was no longer working for Paul McCartney's ex after her much reported rant on GMTV yesterday morning, and her subsequent appearances on other TV and radio shows.
As you all surely know, Mills whined, cried and ranted at length yesterday morning about her treatment by the tabloid media throughout her relationship with Macca, and especially during her acrimonious divorce from the former Beatle. Her conclusion was that the Great British public should boycott the tabloid media - a suggestion the Great British public will no doubt relish reading about in the tabloid media this morning.
PR Phil Hall, a former News Of The World editor, insisted last night that he remained on good terms with Mills, but said that he couldn't get involved in the former Mrs Macca's anti-tabloid campaign because he enjoys good relationships with the newspapers and his wider business depends on those relationships. Speaking to the Media Guardian, Hall said: "We are still mates but I am not working with her any more. [On Tuesday] she said she wanted to do this TV campaign attacking newspapers, but I have a good relationship with newspapers and my business depends on feeding that good relationship. She wanted me to orchestrate this campaign and make calls to newspapers but I have got friends and mates in national newspapers and it didn't seem right to make those calls and attack them". Hall added that Mills respected his decision.
Heather, it seems, has now taken over her own PR and arranged her GMTV heart to heart and yesterday's other media appearances herself. While they say no publicity is bad publicity, it is hard to see how yesterday's appearances, and especially the 19 minute GMTV interview, were good PR for Mills. While she arguably raised some good points regarding the questionable way in which the tabloids have treated her and others - she compared her tabloid woes to those of the late Princess Diana and the parents of Madeline McCann - she did so in her famously irritating, whiny way, which isn't going to win much sympathy with the general public, whose support she really needs if she is going to take on the tabloids who are sure to step up their anti-Mills agenda now that she has formally declared war.
In the GMTV interview Mills, who produced a file of some 4400 "abusive articles" against her, said she was sick of not responding to the many allegations made against her during her drawn out divorce negotiations with Macca. Although a court order prevents her from specifically commenting on the divorce proceedings, it was seemingly Hall's strategy to not get involved in discussing any of the stories circulated about Mills and her marriage to McCartney, even if she could, legally, make comment. But that coverage, she says, has been so negative that it has led to death threats being made against her, and at time has left her feeling suicidal. She denied that she had brought some of the tabloid negativity on herself by using the media for her own aims, claiming to have only ever "used the press" to gain exposure for her charity work.
Quite where Mills will go next with her anti-tabloid campaign remains to be seen - though she is expected to start lobbying at a European level on privacy rights. It has to be said that the ethics of the way the tabloids treat certain celebrities probably should be debated from time to time, but Mills probably isn't the person to do the debating given that, despite being a disabled charity worker, she has that special knack for irritating everyone.
Some reckon that once her divorce from Macca is complete that she will move to the US where she claims to feel less hounded by the popular media and where she enjoyed some good press through her appearances on their version of 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Though a move to the States might throw up issues regarding the joint custody of the couple's daughter given that McCartney in based in the UK.