Britain's most public divorce has taken a very nasty turn but the ex-Beatle is on damage control as we speak. One of Paul McCartney's closest friends told 'People' Magazine that the singer is not so much enraged by Heather's attitude as 'sad, confused and lonely'.

In order to stop the media from digging up more dirt and throwing it around, thus marring his baby girl's childhood, Sir Paul has taken a drastic measure of ensuring Heather's silence. According to the same source, he has offered his ex-wife a settlement that stipulates that she is to get £50 million, if she will never talk about their marriage and divorce to the press.

'Paul has been a golden boy in the eyes of the British public for so long that it is an uncomfortable sensation for him to read a less than flattering portrayal of his private life. It has cut him to the quick and he feels his reputation has been unfairly tarnished. There are always two sides to every story. He is determined to retain a dignified silence. It's certainly not for Heather's sake anymore but for little Beatrice.', the source is quoted as saying in 'People'.

However, if Heather refuses to comply with Paul's condition and reveals any more details about their divorce to the tabloids, she will lose the greatest part of the £50 million. The model's reaction, according to a friend of hers, is not as peaceful as Sir Paul would have expected, as she is currently preparing to make public her own version of the story.

'She is spitting blood about this. It's as though she is being asked to erase the entire period of her life she has spent with Paul. If Paul has his way she will have little option but to walk around in total silence. She has had more than her fair share of mud thrown at her. There are certain matters she would want to set the record straight over. Yet under the terms of Paul's proposed divorce settlement she will have to remain silent for the rest of her life. At the moment Heather is the one who has had to face a whole string of very hurtful allegations against her. She has come out of the marriage without much sympathy on her side from the public. And like any human being she deserves the chance to put right any misconceptions about her.'

Considering that now Heather Mills is filming a documentary about her life as the estranged wife of one of the Beatles, it seems that the 'dignity' and diplomacy towards which Paul is aiming will soon go down the drain.