Heather Mills, the ex-wife of Paul McCartney, was hoping to compete on the British team at the Sochi Winter Paralympics and would have been eligible, had she not allegedly harassed an International Paralympic Committee official who told her that her equipment was not up to its standards.
The IPC says that Mills went into a “wild tantrum” after she was told that she would be fined. “I was trying to explain to her that this is not the equipment we approved earlier in the year and then that was it, she exploded,” IPC skiing committee head Sylvana Mestre told the BBC.
Mestre said that she told the 45-year-old, a former model who lost part of her leg in 1993, “exploded” when she tried to explain to Mills that her new boot for her prosthetic leg could not be used. “She jumped on me. She started to say I was a b**ch,” Mestre recalled. “She grabbed me from the back and she started to say that 'you don't know who I am, I will make your life miserable'. I don't understand the reaction.”
According to The Guardian, Mills’ rep released a statement disputing what Mestre said. “Heather waited patiently to try and explain to Sylvana Mestre that her left boot was legal and purely cosmetic to abide by the archaic IPC rules,” the statement read. “Sylvana shouted at Heather, would not let Tony [the GB coach] speak or explain, and stormed back to the boardroom raised table.”
But IPC communications director Craig Spence told the Guardian that there are 10 witnesses who can back-up Mestre’s version of what happened. “Heather lunged at her and launched into a second tirade of abuse. She was restrained by her PA,” Spence said.
Mills has now squandered her chances of competing in Sochi. Spence said that the IPC could fine her up to €1000 for her tirade.
The BBC had reported on Monday that Mills pulled out of the Paralympics and she criticized the IPC for ruling against her equipment.
