Beatle ex gets a leg up in divorce battle

In the words of Kanye West, I ain’t saying she’s a gold digger. But...

It was a happy St. Patrick’s Day for the former Mrs. Paul McCartney. A judge awarded Heather Mills a total of $48.6 million in the financial settlement of her divorce from Sir Paul.

A document released by the Family Court said the judge awarded Mills a lump sum of $33 million plus the assets she currently holds worth $15.6 million.
“I’m so, so happy with this,” Mills told reporters following the closed hearing.

You didn’t think she would be that upset — did you?

The court also ruled that the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, Beatrice, should receive a “periodical payments order” of $70,000 per annum. On top of that, McCartney will pay for the child’s nanny and school fees.

Mills had sought almost $250 million, while McCartney had said she should receive $31.6 million, including her own assets, which the court assessed at $15.6 million.
Judge Hugh Bennett found that the total value of all of McCartney’s assets, including his business assets, was about $800 million. He said there was no evidence to support the widely published figure that was more than twice as much.

McCartney left the court without making any statement. His ex on the other hand, had a lot to say at an impromptu news conference following the decision.

“I’m so glad it’s over. It was an incredible result in the end to secure mine and my daughter’s future and that of all the charities that I obviously plan on helping and making a difference with — because you know it has been my life for 20 years,” she said.

“Obviously the court do not want a litigant in person to do well, it’s against everything that they ever wish, so when they write the judgment up they’re never going to make it look in favor. But all of you that have researched know that it was always going to be a figure between 20 and 30 million (pounds), Paul was offering a lot less than that, which you’ll see in the judgment, and very much last minute to put me and Beatrice sadly through this ... incredibly sad.”

Halle Berry’s new role: mommy

Halle Berry doesn’t just play a mom in movies anymore.
The 41-year-old actress gave birth to a baby girl Sunday and “is doing great,” her publicist Meredith O’Sullivan told People.com.

It’s a first child for both Berry and her boytoy, 32-year-old model Gabriel Aubry. The two met while shooting a Versace ad in Los Angeles two years ago. Like most of Hollywood’s new parents, Berry has said she and Aubry have no plans to marry, but are fully committed to each other.

The actress told Oprah Winfrey on her show last year that playing a mother in her latest movie, Things We Lost in the Fire helped convince her that motherhood was for her.

“I think it validated that I was meant to be a mother because every day I dealt with the character as a mother and thinking as a mother,” Berry said. “It let me know that I must be a mother.”

Spears pal order to stay away — again

Britney Spears’ hanger-on, Sam Lutfi, has agreed to stay away from the dethroned pop princess for at least another month, delaying a hearing that could have made a restraining order against him permanent.

Lutfi and conservators for the Spears estate agreed to have the restraining order extended for 30 days, Lutfi spokesman Michael Sands said Sunday.

“There is an agreement between Sam Lutfi and the conservatorship for the next 30 days,” Sands said. “Both parties are happy and will continue to work together to further resolve any issues that may have come up in the past.”

A Superior Court commissioner last month ordered Lutfi to stay 250 yards from Spears and her home.

Spears’ mother, Lynne, requested the order based on allegations that Lutfi — Spears’ frequent companion and sometime manager — had held the singer hostage in her own home, drugged her and taken over her finances.

Spears’ father, Jamie, was named one of two co-conservators of her estate after the singer was hospitalized twice in January. The conservatorship has been extended until July 31.