£24.3 million. That was the final amount Heather Mills received from her divorce settlement with Beatles and music legend Paul McCartney. In the time that she and Paul have been going through their messy break-up, her public standing has plummeted. Branded a gold-digger, whore, liar, evil stepmother… everything – but is it justified? Are there deeper currents at work here? Let us know what you think.

The ThinkLike.co.uk… court is now in session! Firstly, the McCartney camp will state their case:

In the eyes of Paul McCartney supporters, the revered and much-loved former Beatle, Ms Mills is nothing but a gold-digger. She has manipulated her way into his life and bank balance through sheer cunning – capitalising on his fame to build her own then pulling the plug on their relationship. She’s been icy and evil to his children from his previous marriage and has denigrated the memory of the late Linda McCartney, again revered in her own right. Mills has used the media for her own cause, publicising a difficult divorce and exposing Mr McCartney to unwanted invasion of privacy. She even tried to push for more than £100m of Mr McCartney’s personal fortune, a fortune built on providing beautiful, timeless music to millions of fans for the past 40 years. In short, there is no way she deserves £24.3m – she has calculated a pay day out of this divorce.

Now, in defence, the Mills team will have their say:

For those who back Heather Mills, the public vilification of her character and reputation is shocking. Nobody outside the McCartney family will know what really happened. Mills has stated that Paul’s daughter, fashion designer Stella, caused the break-up, acting “jealous” and “evil”. How can Ms Mills ever receive a fair hearing from not only the courts, but also the press, when they fail to look at Mr McCartney’s life behind closed doors and not through the rose-tinted lenses of his musical past? Ms Mills has been treated worse than a major criminal by the press – where is the justification? And the settlement provided is to ensure the future of Ms Mills and Mr McCartney’s daughter, enabling her to have the life she deserves whilst living with her mother. In the way in which Ms Mills has been labelled, there are deep undercurrents of misogyny – a character assassination akin to medieval witch hunts. The settlement is just and acceptable.

You’ve heard both sides of the story? What do you think? Vote, sound off in the comments boxes and discuss in the forums!