THE former bodyguard of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills has come forward to give his first-hand account of Britain's most bitter showbiz marriage breakdown.

Defending his decision to go public, Sean Ghent said he feels stunned by the public vilification of Heather. He tells how he sadly witnessed the couple's amicable separation disintegrate into all-out war... and hatred.

Sean, who has been pictured regularly with the couple, said he would never forget being at Heather's side, the moment she realised that Macca had pulled the plug on her finances.

She was buying a rail ticket at Hove Station in Brighton when her bank card was declined. Sean said Sir Paul, 64, had axed all financial support, leaving Heather stranded and humiliated.

The man-mountain recalled: "It was shocking to see this strong woman totally broken and worn down. Paul had completely cut her out. It was ugly and cruel."

Sean was hired by Sir Paul's head of security, Mark Hamilton, last May to head up a new three-man close protection team for the couple as they prepared to announce their divorce.

Sean said: "The security went mad. We were using four white vans to get him in and out. And we managed to keep him hidden for six weeks. It was exhilarating."

He recalled: "We went on one very memorable two-hour walk together. Paul was just depressed and insecure. He was in trauma and was seeing a psychiatrist.

"At that point, he still wanted to win Heather back. There is no question about that. But Heather was much more focused. She had made the decision to move on. She was making a new life with Beatrice.

"She is one of the most impressive people I have ever met and has been a huge influence on me. I want people to understand some of that. I don't get why the British public are so down on her. She's made a success of herself against all the odds. She just wants to influence change and to inspire people.

"You don't see her shopping on Bond Street or dressed in designer clothes. But she seems to be a hate figure just because she married a British icon."

In the immediate aftermath of their separation, Sir Paul continued to be pleasant to former model Heather - and even issued statements backing her.

Sean explained: "Paul initially used his position, wealth and power to try and win her back - and then became bitter and cynical when it did not work. He cut off her financial resources.

"Everyone wanted to get involved - lawyers, family members, associates. And they are all on the pay-roll, so they are all dependent on him. And no one is really considering the best for him."

SEAN told how Macca ordered some staff to cease support for Heather. He said: "It got ridiculous. She rang her health store in Hove for a delivery and they said the account had been closed.

"There was a huge discrepancy between the pair. He was getting the solitude he wanted and enjoying the same jet-set lifestyle - private planes and helicopters.

He recalled: "I was concerned about the legalities of it. But Paul came out and said he did not care who came to the house with Lady McCartney - her solicitor, police or bailiffs - we were to deny them entry."

Sean was asked to block the gate with a car to stop Heather getting in. When she did later make it upstairs, he had to confront her and ask her to leave.

The incident angered Sean so much that he resigned from Sir Paul's employment and decided to work for Heather instead, believing that she deserved his support. On August 7, Sean was with Heather when they came back to the London home and couldn't get in. He said: "It was crazy. One day I was being asked to keep Heather out - now I was with her unable to get in."

As a security professional, he was annoyed that Macca, who is obsessed by his own safety, did not show much concern for Heather's arrangements. Sean said: "Paul spends millions a year on security. He has personal guards, staff at all houses, gates within gates within fenced areas.

"You can understand it. John Lennon was shot by a fan. And George Harrison was attacked by an intruder. Paul lives in fear of someone jumping out on him. His head of security Mark Hamilton will arrange every second of his movements with regard to safety.

"In the trade, we will always regard Heather as a high-risk individual too - the former wife of a Beatle and a high-profile figure in her own right."

He has since had many heart-to-hearts with Heather, who lost her leg when she was run down by a police motorcycle answering a false alarm in 1993.

Sean is not allowed to talk about the specifics of what Macca is claiming in his divorce petition - or the dynamite sections in Heather's counter-claim, some of which have been leaked into the public domain already.

They include allegations that the ex-Beatle subjected her to four violent attacks, including one in which he stabbed her in the arm with a broken wine glass.

She also claims he continued to use illegal drugs and drink, hurled abuse at her, calling her an "ungrateful bitch" and objected "vociferously" when she asked to buy a bedpan to save her crawling to the toilet at night. Sir Paul has vehemently denied all allegations.

BUT Sean is astonishingly frank about what Heather has told him. He said: "It was Paul's broken promises over changing his lifestyle which really hurt her. Like any relationship, you start off being good as gold. But eventually Paul fell back into his old ways.

"He has this shed which is like his den. And he heads down there with his closest friends. Heather didn't like that. She believes he continued to smoke marijuana.

"She has publicly stated that she had issued him with an ultimatum to give it up when they got married - and that he had smoked it every day during his marriage to Linda.

Heather told Sean that Sir Paul - forever cast as the upbeat, cheery one in the Beatles - also showed his temper. Sean added: "Heather cited his pedantic behaviour, his bad temper and violence as another reason for the break-up. I can't vouch for any allegations of abuse.

"He wanted her to do certain things in certain ways and when she didn't, he got very upset. I saw him being fussy lots of times. Paul gets in a huff and sulks for three hours if things don't go his way. He is very particular and likes things done a certain way.

"Heather was just too strong and energetic for him. It would take a strong man to keep up with her. He wanted a doormat and an obedient wife. She is just not like that."

Although the couple were besotted when they first met at the Mirror's Pride Of Britain Awards in 1999, they just pulled in different directions. Sean is a fitness obsessive - but even he struggled to keep up with Heather's daily regime. He recalled: "Her routine starts at the crack of dawn when she gets up and does two hours exercise - then we were out on the bikes. She's got hardly any body fat. But Paul lives a much more sedate existence. He keeps busy with work - but it is all related to himself...the running of his business MPL, recording and touring.

"He is the patriarch of the family. For over four decades he's had people kowtowing to him around the world. He asks for something and expects it.

But Heather told Sean that Macca did become incredibly jealous when she was constantly being pictured with her new personal trainer Ben Amigoni, 21. Sean said: "Paul rang up Ben and demanded to see him. Ben's fit and strong but was terrified about having to meet this billionaire."

There has been speculation about the divorce proceedings but also a lot of misinformation, according to Sean. He insisted that there has been NO offer by McCartney at all so far.

Sean said: "I know for a fact, from speaking to Heather, she would have taken any reasonable offer. If she had been offered £10million, she would have taken it and moved on.

"In my opinion, she is not a money-grabber. She lives quite modestly really and does not have expensive taste or care about the trappings of wealth."

He explained: "She went to court to get money because Paul had cut everything off. She was awarded a sum for security. And she was given a sum for household expenditure."

Forensic accountants are now raking through Sir Paul's net worth. Sean said Heather's team expect to get a final settlement of up to £200million.

He added: "Heather's side predict a walkover. She spent seven years with him, in which she picked him up, got him back on his feet after Linda's death and rebuilt him emotionally.

"He would never have gone on a world tour in 2002, if it wasn't for Heather. A A fair settlement would be between £100million to £200million."

One of the last nights Sean worked for Sir Paul was at his "Moving On Party" last July 15. It marked the turning point in Macca's thinking about Heather.

Sean said: "He hired caterers who laid on this amazing Indian buffet spread. All his old friends were there and his family. It was to mark a tipping point - back to being single.

"And then when the nanny rang up from another party, he told her to come over and bring her friends. When they arrived, Paul charmed these girls."

Sean believes Heather has turned a corner in recent weeks with her appearance on Dancing With The Stars in America - but he does not think she will ever move to the USA full time.

As for future romance, Sean said: "I think Paul will find someone more quickly than Heather will. He has more emotional needs which he will need to share with someone."

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