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CNN Larry King Live

Interview With Heather Mills

Aired March 20, 2007 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, Heather Mills.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you're an inspiration to people to get out and dance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Her first interview since her "Dancing With The Stars" debut last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got more guts than Rambo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: She's overcome growing up homeless and losing a leg in a horrifying accident to become a fashion model, activist and a U.N. goodwill ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I think that you know how to work through very difficult situations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: And now, after a rough year, vilified by the press over her break-up with Paul McCartney, she's going out on an artificial limb in front of millions.

Heather Mills tells us what keeps her going.

She'll even dance for us, too, next on LARRY KING LIVE.

Good evening.

Forgive that pun.

The United Nations Association's Goodwill Ambassador, activist for No More Land Mines, advocate for animal rights and now a hit dancing -- on "Dancing With The Stars," the first contestant to compete with an artificial limb, she's Heather Mills.

It's great to welcome her to LARRY KING LIVE again. She's been here quite a few times.

Before we do anything else, let's show you a videotape of her dancing last night at her debut with her professional partner, Jonathan Roberts.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SINGING): Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak and I seem to find the happiness I seek when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek.

Oh, I love to climb a mountain and to reach the highest peak. But it doesn't thrill me half as much as dancing cheek to cheek. Out together dancing cheek to cheek. Out together dancing cheek to cheek.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: One of my favorite Irving Berlin tunes, "Cheek To Cheek," an endless hit.

Well, how did you think you did?

HEATHER MILLS: I was really surprised, actually, because I thought I would come at the bottom of the pile because the judges were pretty tough. And two of the performances -- I thought Lisa Gibbons was good and I thought Paulina Porizkova was good. And they were really pretty tough on them.

So when I came up, oh, god, I'm going to get twos and threes and fours. And then they gave me sixes and I got 18. And I was like wow, that's great.

KING: What went through your mind right before you went on?

MILLS: I was fine. All day I was so relaxed. And the makeup artists and the hairdressers and everyone around was going, "Aren't you nervous? Aren't you nervous?"

And I was like, "No, should I be nervous? What -- you know, what do you mean? Is it going to be really bad?"

And I was fine all day, drinking my chamomile tea. And then I walked out and then I saw my friends there and they were all like this and I was like oh my god, they've got no faith in me. They think I'm going to fall over or do something disastrous.

And then I got nervous. And then I had to walk forward. And walking forward is the hardest thing to do, because you've got that leg and inside it's metal. Unless you put lots of pressure on it, you can't make a...

KING: You mean it's harder to walk forward than to dance sideways? MILLS: Harder to walk forward.

KING: That's (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MILLS: The hardest thing for me is walking. Can you imagine you've got a metal pole and if you put pressure on it like a strong walk, you can walk. But this was a slow walk, so I'm like oh, I'm looking like I'm drunk. I'm going to go, I'm going to go over.

And then Sidney was oh, at least it's a twirl now. Whereas most people would be worried about the twirl, I'm worried about the walk forward.

KING: Here's what the judges said in front of millions of TV viewers after she and Jonathan were finished.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The thing is, there was far more right about that routine than there was wrong.

MILLS: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very good.

John, you did a great job with the choreography.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought I'd get this out of my system now. You've got more guts than Rambo, and then I will never say anything again, because to take this on, I have to give you credit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your disadvantage could be advantage, because I think that you know how to work through very difficult situations.

When you're worried about your leg and your weight on your leg, because I know that's an issue for you...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It shows here.

MILLS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... your shoulders get really tense. So you've got to have a lot more faith in your partner, that he's there for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILLS: She keeps...

KING: And we have an e-mail question following that up from Leslie in Rye, New York: "Heather, what was behind your decision to take this on? did you have an immediate yes, I'm in, when you were asked? Or did you have to think it over?"

MILLS: Do you know, I was such a big admirer of the English version, where this comes from, which is...

KING: You're carded there, (ph) right?

MILLS: Yes, it's strictly come dancing (ph). And, you know, there's a place called Black Pearl in England where hundreds of people go and compete and these crazy dresses and hairdos and loads of makeup. And then I'd watch the film "Strictly Ballroom," which was a fantastic film.

So I've always loved watching dancing and I've always loved Fred and Ginger in "Top Hat." So "Cheek To Cheek" has been one of my favorite numbers.

And then it was written in the paper. They actually did me a favor for once and said Heather is competing in "Dancing With The Stars."

And I was like, what's that?

I had never even heard of the American version.

And -- and then I didn't hear anything for two...

KING: They announced it without asking you?

MILLS: No, they didn't even know themselves.

KING: Oh.

MILLS: The papers just made it up. It was really bizarre.

KING: You're kidding?

MILLS: No.

KING: A paper made something up?

MILLS: And then ABC contacted me and said we've -- we've heard that you're dancing with us and you're not, but what a great idea.

Would you like to do it?

So I said, "Well, is there a fee for charity, and then I'll have the motivation."

And they said, "Yes." And I thought, great.

I said, "But I can't come to America because I've got my daughter. Will you be able to send someone over to train me?"

And I thought then they would tell me to get lost. But they sent a great guy, Jonathan Roberts, over, who I think had a heart attack when I walked through the door, because not only had he took on someone with an artificial leg, but he took on me, with all the troubles that can come with me.

KING: Yes, now, with all the publicity, all the thing over the divorce and everything, you know that's going to be the attention getter.

Why -- who needs the stress?

MILLS: Well, think about it. In 10 months, I've done nothing except one interview about veganism and everyday I was on the front page. And all I did was stay in the house or go out, you know, for five minutes to the shop.

And I was on the front page. I was on my bicycle. I was on the front page.

So I thought it's crazy that I'm hiding away and it's not going away. I thought eventually they'll get bored, they'll move on, they'll do something else. And unfortunately they didn't.

And all my charities were saying we need you out there, we need you fundraising, we need you helping us again. And then this opportunity just came up and I thought how amazing would it be to get some free lessons, raise some money for charity and see if I can dance?

And it's just been -- it's been like a holiday. Everyone says it must be so much pressure and this. I thought just live with me in my life for a month and -- and then come in a dance studio. You'll just enjoy it. It's just -- it's been wonderful. I really love it.

KING: I'll discuss a lot about dancing.

But one quick question in that area.

Did you -- how did you let yourself get portrayed as someone only interested in money?

MILLS: I didn't -- couldn't do anything about it. It was a bigger powerful machine than I am. I mean if I was only interested in money, then I would be more well off now than I was before I married Paul, and, actually, I'm a lot less well off than before.

KING: You're less well off?

MILLS: Less well off. I was a $50,000 -- $30,000 to $50,000 an hour public speaker. And that's what everyone seems to forget. And I gave up so many opportunities to be the good wife and mother and to carry on my charity work.

KING: So it happened to you rather than you're letting it happen?

MILLS: Yes. It totally happened to me.

KING: Back to the dancing -- we'll move to that later.

Did anyone try to talk you out of doing it?

MILLS: No. Everybody -- it was the one thing -- everyone has tried to talk me out of doing a lot of things because they just say, you know, every time you stick your head above the parapet, you're going to get shot down.

But this one, they went just go for it, because they know me and they know that if I put my mind to it, then I'll manage to do it.

KING: There were reports that Paul sent you flowers.

MILLS: He did. Yes, which was nice.

KING: What did he say? What did the card say?

MILLS: It just said "Dear mommy, love daddy and Beatrice." So it was nice.

KING: Did that surprise you?

MILLS: No, because we still have a friendship. It's only his lawyers that are a nightmare. We're fine.

KING: You mean the lawyers are the bad guys?

MILLS: Oh, yes. Not on my side, but on his side. There's a nasty woman that represents him.

KING: If left to your own devices, things would be all right?

MILLS: Things would have been right along time ago.

KING: Coming up, the worldwide wagers about whether Heather's leg will come off during the competition. We'll get her thoughts on that. We know where it did come off once -- here, Heather, but volunteer. I asked her.

Heather's response to the judges (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You really just got through that foxtrot, really nice words from the judges. Next week is the Latin dance. And it's a completely different way of moving your body.

What are you most concerned of as the biggest challenge?

MILLS: Just how Jonathan wants to throw me around. It's -- I mean I really enjoy that. He's been such a fantastic trainer and I'm just glad I didn't fall over. So I'm just happy. Two, three, four points, I'll be happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

MILLS: Would you mind grabbing legs, as they say?

I was crossing the street and a police motorcycle came and just chopped my leg off, crushed my pelvis, punctured my lung and split my head open.

This is handy, see?

Instead of swapping shoes, you swap legs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's really quite amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN ROBERTS: You're going to have to work so much more than everyone else to make this look right.

MILLS: OK.

ROBERTS: And back, back, side to -- good. Two, three, four. And turn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Heather, does your leg ever come off?

MILLS: It does normally if I go dancing, but I've put a great big strap on it, which doesn't look so elegant and limits it in movement a little bit. But I just can't imagine if my leg comes off and I knock Len Goodman out, one of the judges. I would be in big trouble.

They say...

KING: You took it off here ounce. It comes off very easily.

MILLS: It does. It comes off very easily. But I...

KING: And goes on very easily.

MILLS: Yes. But I've put a strap on. I'm doing a little trick with Jonathan that will surprise people next week when we do the mamba.

KING: A trick?

MILLS: Yes.

KING: Doing the mambo?

MILLS: Yes. And I -- and they could come off then. There is a chance. But it won't hurt me, it will just hurt Jonathan. And he's happy with that risk.

KING: How do you recent about Internet sites taking wagers on it coming off?

MILLS: I think it's funny. You know, I've always -- you know how I've been about my leg. I wouldn't pop it off like I did on here to show you how great it looks. It's about having a sense of humor, you know?

KING: Sure.

Did it ever fall off crossing the street?

MILLS: Yes, once I crossed Zebra Crossing and it was a really, really hot day and it started to slip. And I took a step and it just kind of fell. And this poor guy on his moped just saw this leg that looked really real lying in the front of the road and me hopping after it, trying to pick it up and hop out of the way.

And I went into this woman's boutique with my leg under my arm and I said, "Can I use your changing room to pop my leg back on?," because I had trousers on so I didn't want to flash my knickers in front of everybody.

KING: You know, you can play tricks on people with that.

MILLS: Yes.

KING: Let them think they ran over you.

MILLS: Oh, don't. I could.

KING: I had a guy do that at parked cars once in Miami. He had one leg and the guy would pull the car up and he'd throw the leg off and he'd say, "Hey!"

MILLS: Well, that's the whole point, you have a sense of humor about it and no one has an issue.

KING: Other "Dancing With The Stars" contestants have said they suffer a lot of aches and pains, that it's very, very strenuous.

Have you had any?

MILLS: Do you know, this is where I've been lucky. I mean I have it on my residual limb, on my little leg. I've had blisters and bleeding and stuff like that, like everybody would on their own two feet. But I'm really lucky in the sense of I do a lot of training every day -- biking, weight training, roller blading, skiing, you know, whatever is available. I've done sport for a long time.

So I haven't found it physically difficult as far as the rest of the body is concerned. It's just really on the leg. And my right foot, because it's taken a lot of weight.

But apart from that, I don't -- I've actually put five pounds on. I think I'm the only contestant that put weight on, and I actually needed it. But I'm not burning up as many calories.

KING: Have you had any thoughts at all that ABC is exploiting you?

MILLS: No. You know, we're using each other. I need them for the money for the charity and they need me because they want to, you know...

KING: Do they pay well?

MILLS: Yes, they do. I can't legally say what it is, but it all goes to charity. None of it goes to me.

KING: We have another e-mail from Sherry (ph) in Ripley, Mississippi: "Heather, I applaud you for your strength and your determination. What's been your biggest obstacle since losing your leg and how did you overcome it?"

MILLS: My biggest obstacle would have been learning to walk would have been the hardest thing, because, you know, you just -- you learned to walk as a child and it's literally learning to walk again, stumbling, you know, moving over. But funny moments. You know, when I learned to ski and my leg just went flying off with the chairlift and it wasn't attached properly and -- but I always just managed to laugh about it.

But when you're in pain, you know, and a lot of amputees relate to the fact that when you have a leg made and the socket is not comfortable, then you just can't do anything, you know? And that's why I always try and supply people with artificial limbs or, you know, explain how they can get a better socket, you know, how they can pad it out with blister plasters. Because it's the difference between, you know, one day I can dance around and jump and the next day I can't even put my leg on.

So it's -- it's different.

KING: How many legs do you have?

MILLS: Now I'm down to three. When I first started, I was trying everything that came on the market, you know, the electronic this and that. And now I actually realized that it's best to have a basic leg. I have a very basic leg. But it has a silicon cover on it. I have a flat foot leg, a high heel leg and then I have a leg which, in the winter, I have to ski in and in the summer I swap it into my roller blades.

KING: Do you? Oh, you roller blade?

MILLS: Yes, I love it.

KING: During your dating and then marriage to Paul, did you go dancing?

MILLS: Oh, yes. All the time. I love it.

KING: So you love dancing?

MILLS: Yes, yes.

KING: Any kind of...

MILLS: But just natural disco dancing, you know? I've never trained or had any lessons, because I -- I didn't -- I was really surprised. I thought I won't be able to follow the steps, because I like to be free. I don't like, you know, being led, which Jonathan's found -- he's always like I'm the man, you're leading me.

Why are you leading me?

KING: He has to lead in ballroom.

MILLS: Yes, of course he does.

So -- so it's been quite funny allowing someone to lead me. And, actually, the -- the judge -- one of the judges said you've got to rely on Jonathan more. And I tried that today in rehearsals for the mambo and it really worked.

KING: She's going to dance with Jonathan here later.

Heather Mills is our special guest.

Bill Cosby will be with us tomorrow night.

And governor -- the -- I know the first lady of California, Governor Maria -- I keep calling her governor. Maria Shriver will be here Thursday.

Heather's personal life isn't all song and dance. When we come back, we'll talk about more about how she deals with private problems that have become public news.

As we go to break, one of Heather's dance rivals rates her performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SINGING): Heaven, I'm in heaven.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Heather did awesome. I guarantee that everyone watching is probably asking themselves well, which leg is the prosthetic?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She did really well.

You know what?

Her handicap was, tonight, pretty much a non-issue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Heather did beautifully well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's an ambassador. She's an ambassador for people that think that their life is over when something like that happens to them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SINGING): Oh, I love to climb a mountain...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LARRY KING LIVE," OCTOBER 2002)

MILLS: This is just basically -- not to be dramatic -- but just to show people...

KING: Where does your leg end?

MILLS: It ends just below the knee. So this is to show people the quality of the leg that you can actually get.

KING: Oh, it feels like a leg.

MILLS: Yes. But in America, you don't have that quality here so...

KING: Now, what do you -- pick your leg up again.

What do you...

MILLS: There's a screw on the end of it.

KING: Do you have any feeling there?

MILLS: Yes, yes, yes, full feeling, completely.

KING: Full feeling?

MILLS: Full feeling. If you touch it, it makes me feel like my toes are completely opening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That has been shown many, many times around the world in many, many television viewers' homes -- a historic moment.

All right, everybody knows you've been going through some tough times and we can't discuss the specifics of the divorce case. But generally, how are you doing?

MILLS: Now, I'm great. It's been really, really hard because my whole personality, as you know and have known for quite a few years, Larry, is that I -- if something is wrong, I have to speak out and I have to, you know, write it.

KING: It's your nature.

MILLS: It's my nature. And on this, I've had to be completely quiet. You know, Paul is the father of my child and whatever he's done, whatever has happened, I can never speak badly about the father of my child. We'll have a relationship forever. And I still love him. But you can love somebody and you're not right for each other and you have to move on.

KING: Is he a good father?

MILLS: He's a great father. Really, really good.

KING: Do you split time with the baby?

MILLS: Completely 50-50.

KING: How is the baby dealing with it?

MILLS: Gorgeous, because, you know, she was so young. She was only two when it happened. So...

KING: What about it becoming an international spectacle? I mean you married an icon above icons.

MILLS: I know. You know, I could have been Mother Teresa and I still would have been vilified. You know, the same thing happened to Linda. The poor lady went through it for years and years and years. The same thing happened to Yoko. It just, unfortunately, I wasn't a Beatle fan so I didn't understand the consequences.

And I was madly in love. So, you know, you just marry for the right reasons and, you know, I certainly didn't marry for any other reasons because I didn't...

KING: You didn't marry for money?

MILLS: Well, no, I didn't live that kind of lifestyle, you know?

I had a much better quality lifestyle before I married and I had a lot more money before I married. And that's the whole joke about it all. I married because I was madly in love.

KING: Do you or did you read the media coverage?

MILLS: No, I didn't. The first few weeks, when I had to sue, because I've got three libel cases against the newspapers, then I had to...

KING: In England or here?

MILLS: Yes, in England. Then I had to read them and I had to sue. And, you know, rather than clear my name publicly, I prefer to do it through the courts, because then it's been proven. I don't have to put Paul down in the process or anybody else.

KING: Why do you...

MILLS: And I don't want to lower myself to that level.

KING: Why have they been so brutal to you?

MILLS: Because...

KING: Do you think?

MILLS: Because...

KING: Your married a legend?

MILLS: Married a legend and there's a machine behind. I can't really go into it. But, you know, you have to read between the lines. You know, there's a whole machine going on to create this negativity in Britain toward me.

KING: Caused by Paul?

MILLS: Well, I can't go into it. It's like, you know -- I just don't want to speak badly about Paul, you know?

I still love him and he's the father of my child. And, you know, there's things go on. Things are not what you see. I mean...

KING: Because you said earlier it's the lawyers more than him.

MILLS: It was the lawyers. Yes, well, that's a different side. I mean the media is one side, but the dragging of the divorce is the lawyers. They're too difficult.

KING: When does it end, by the way?

MILLS: You have to ask the lawyers. It's up to them.

KING: Oh, boy.

You have a court date, is that...

MILLS: In a year's time.

KING: Another year?

MILLS: One year. Another year.

KING: When you're trashed in the press -- and you've been, you've been the victim -- how do you think you overcome that?

MILLS: Do you know...

KING: How do you get it back?

MILLS: I think you overcome it -- well, you never get it back. And if you worry about getting it back, then you even more so don't get it back. I don't really worry about -- if I walk down the street and people weren't so nice and supportive, then maybe I would be more affected by it. But the fact that everybody is, you know, I get thousands of e-mails and phone calls and just a tiny percentage of really extreme Beatle fans -- or Paul fans, I should say, because you get the two counts.

You know, you get the people that love George, John and Ringo and hate Paul because Paul sued them. He sued his three best friends. So you get two counts.

So the people that love Paul, you know, they do extreme things. But they forget, you know, when I met Paul, he was totally grieving and devastated from Linda. And he wouldn't perform, he wouldn't tour, he wouldn't do anything. And I put my heart and soul into loving him and helping to support him, to get him back to where he wanted to be.

So, you know, that's all kind of forgotten. You know that. You've got a loving, supportive wife and you're a loving, supporting husband.

KING: Yes.

MILLS: Everyone knows that when you go through a divorce, it's a really difficult time for both parties and you've all -- you believe, you both believe, individually, that you've put your best into it.

And what it want to do is -- the way I get through things is to think ahead. Don't just react to the here and now. Think long-term.

KING: Do you care about what people think?

MILLS: Yes, I do care about what people think. Of course I do -- about nice, real people. But generally it's only when I ever get to meet someone that's written something nasty, I only have to look at them and they're very unhappy in their lives. They're very mean- spirited. And most of the public aren't like that.

And the public aren't stupid. You know, they're not sheep. They're not going to read and go well, that's true. You know, one minute they say she's got $200 million, $100 million, $70 million, $50 million.

It's like wait, I haven't got anything, do you know?

It's crazy.

KING: You got a lot more hostility in Great Britain than in the United States, didn't you?

MILLS: Oh, yes, much more. KING: The press much worse there?

MILLS: Yes, yes, yes.

KING: How have you generally been treated here?

MILLS: Oh, great. Really, really nice. I mean I don't really read or watch things, but I haven't had to sue anybody, so it can't be that bad.

KING: I mean do people say nice things to you when they see you on the street?

MILLS: Always. And I mean last night on the show, I couldn't believe that we got a standing ovation. So it's like, you know, they're not -- people aren't stupid. You know, they take you for who you are.

And I also have a history. You know, I've done a lot of work for a long time. And, yes, you know when I've been on here it's always been about landmines or animals.

KING: Have you lost any friends because of this, people who were your friend and now are not?

MILLS: A couple of charities who were told, you know, if you work with her, I won't work with you kind of thing. But the other charities, no. And, you know, that's their loss, not mine. And it's kind of sad.

KING: When we come back, Heather and Paul became well known for their philanthropic work as a couple. We'll talk about that and other things after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "DANCING WITH THE STARS," COURTESY ABC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SINGING): I'm in heaven and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. And I seem to find the happiness I seek when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILLS: Within five days, 80 percent of these 250 to 300,000 seals are clubbed and hackey-picked, as in a hook, and slain around to death. And that is not humane. You know humane means kind and, you know, with compassion. It doesn't mean that at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: We're back with Heather Mills. We'll meet her dancing partner in a little while. Was that your last appearance on -- together, you and Paul? MILLS: Yes, it was. And sadly, they've not pushed the law ban through. Even though we've got the cat and dog food ban. We've now found in a number of shops with DNA testing through the Humane Society, that there's dog and cat fur labeled as fake fur. Before it was fox, mink, and sable, and now it's labeled as fake fur. So we're trying to sort that out.

KING: Is Paul still active?

MILLS: Not that I know of, but I'm sure he's got plans to do so.

KING: It was recently reported that the Sussex Police were complaining that you made a disproportionate number of calls to emergency services about people hanging around your house.

MILLS: You know what I've got a recording that I did on purpose because I knew the press would turn this into nothing -- into something. After I got the death threats in December, the police came out and said, you know, we received these death threats against your life, and I was like, whoa. And then I asked for security and didn't get it.

So they said, can you -- not from the police but from security, they then said, if you have any problems, give us a call. So I didn't have any problems, except one. And I called them once in four months. And then I was being harassed all day, every day by the paparazzi. I couldn't go out with my daughter. I had to go in one car; she had to go in another. And it was just intense. I couldn't even go to the shop or the supermarket.

So I went to the police and I said what can I do. There must be a harassment order or act. And they said, yes, there is, but you need to call us a few times each day for two days, and call us out so we can spot the same person in the same car. So I did what they said. And then the press didn't like it. They got a warning, the paparazzi. So they made up this whole story and put out this whole statement.

And then I called this inspector, and I recorded him as I record everything that goes in and out of my office, and he says, "We never said you call 999. We never said this, we never said that. We just said that if there ever is a disproportionate amount of calls, but we weren't talking about you, we were talking generally, and they put it onto you." So it was absolute, complete rubbish. And even if I wanted to call them, I was having death threats, which I didn't.

KING: It's 999 in Great Britain?

MILLS: 999, but it was actually 945, a non-emergency number that I called.

KING: Who wants to kill you?

MILLS: I don't know. Some extremist, fans or -- or maybe -- it could be the fur industry. It could be the land mine industry. I mean I've stepped on a lot of toes. KING: It couldn't be the divorce industry?

MILLS: Well, hopefully not.

KING: There's no divorce industry.

MILLS: It would be quick to get rid of me.

KING: We have an e-mail from Pamela in Nassau, New Hampshire. "Heather is introduced on 'Dancing with the Stars' as a charitable activist. If she's getting paid, is she donating all the money to some good cause?"

MILLS: Yes, it goes to VIVA, which basically is an English charity, and they have a BBS American section too. It's VIVA.org.uk. And recently we've just investigated pig farming and how they keep these pigs in the furrowing crates when they've just given birth. And so we're just making people aware of that. And within a day, Marks & Spencers, which is a big company in Britain, have said they're going to wipe out furrowing crates. So it works immediately when you put the pressure out.

KING: Has there been any settlement proposal? Has someone come in with both parties and said, let's get this done already?

MILLS: I can't go into what's happened, but there is no settlement. That's all I can legally say. There's no settlement. His lawyer, Miss Fiona Shackelton, wants to drag out as long as she can to fill her pocket. And she said some pretty mean-spirited things when I was in a wheelchair. I can't say them because they're actual swear words. But she's not a very nice person. She's made it as difficult as possible.

KING: How much do you miss, if at all, being married?

MILLS: I miss -- oh, so much of it because it's like a death, because I've had people that died. But that person's still around. You know you marry someone because you're madly in love. You saw us together. We were madly in love. And then we had this beautiful child. And I had had two ectopic pregnancies and loads of miscarriages previously, 15, 16 years before. And it was just very, very difficult.

But you know sometimes you have to wake up and go this is just not working. It's not right. And for Beatrice's sake, it's better that it happened when she's 2 because sometimes you can try and try and try. We were together seven years, 24/7. So it was like we were together 14 years. So it was really, really difficult. And I'm just proud of myself that I was strong enough knowing I was going to go into this huge tornado storm because it has to be a goody and a baddy.

And my friends to took me to see the theater "Wicked," and he said to me, "You're the baddy. You're the witch with the black hair and the green face." And I went, oh, great. And he said, "And Paul's the white witch." And I said, "Oh, thanks very much." And then I went to watch it and then I saw exactly what he meant.

KING: Are you dating?

MILLS: No, I haven't had a boyfriend at all. I'm not ready. And I'm not ready to put -- I'm not saying one day, you know, I wouldn't fall in love. I would never marry again. I would never go through that again. But what I'd like to do is, you know, date someone three times a week and have the honeymoon period forever. Have a nice meal, glass of wine and off you go home. That would be the ideal thing.

KING: And off you go home. And he better be good to the kid.

MILLS: Oh, my goodness. It wouldn't even -- they'd have to be around for two years before they met my daughter.

KING: Is the child in preschool?

MILLS: She goes to nursery a couple of mornings a week.

KING: OK, still ahead, how do you teach an inexperienced amputee to dance ball room style? Heather's high-stepping partner, Jonathan Roberts, is here to talk about that. And later, the two of them are going to give us a live demonstration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IAN ZIERING, ACTOR: She danced beautifully. The choreography lent itself to, you know, not showing anything where she might have a weakness. And she did really well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is incredible. For her to take this challenge and get out there and show everybody that everything's possible. You just have to want to do it and get out there and just make it happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILLS: My name's Heather Mills and I'm an animal rights campaigner. I have no dance background except in the local disco, so ball room dancing's going to be a real challenge.

JONATHAN ROBERTS, PROFESSIONAL DANCER: I'm Jonathan Roberts and I'm one of the best ball room teachers in America. It's really important to me that I show off my partner and make her look the best she possibly can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Humble Jonathan Roberts joins us now. He is Heather's professional partner on "Dancing with the Stars." This is his third season on the show. His previous partners were supermodel Rachel Hunter and an old friend, TV journalist Giselle Fernandez.

Let's take a look at the first Heather and Jonathan first met and get a sample of the practice they put into their dancing. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILLS: Hi.

ROBERTS: Hello.

MILLS: I don't even know if you know who I am coming from England. I'm Heather Mills.

ROBERTS: Hi, Heather, I'm Jonathan.

MILLS: Hi, nice to meet you.

ROBERTS: Nice to meet you.

MILLS: And I've also got an artificial leg.

ROBERTS: All right. Heather has twice the work that all the other celebrities have because not only does she have to have learn the steps, be on time, and try to look graceful, but she has to balance on only one leg. Why can you do spin kick but not we can't do three steps forward?

MILLS: Because walking is the hardest thing. Just as a little kid sitting there who's just lost a limb and then to see me dancing, I really hope that they're going to go, oh, I can. ROBERTS: We're going to do, look, look. Dancing is about what you can do not what you can't do. But her leg is so unpredictable; we never know how it's going to handle her weight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: All right, Jonathan, what were your feelings about how she did?

ROBERTS: I was thrilled with how Heather did. You never know how it's going to be, that first moment. You put all this time and training in, and then, you know, you hear that countdown, three, two, one, and the lights go on and the band starts. And that's when you really see what your partner's like because no matter what the preparation is, I don't know how she's going to react to that moment on live TV.

KING: You had to say to yourself, you've got an artificial leg; this is going to be weird.

ROBERTS: Yes, that's what I said in the beginning when I first met her. I was like, you know, what am I going to do? You know I've never had this kind of challenge before in a partner. But Heather's attitude is amazing. She's so willing to try anything and do anything. And it's almost like at first I babied her a bit and was careful of the leg. And now I have to be clever with my choreography so we work around it and kind of hide it. But I forget sometimes and I ask her to do things and go, oh, wait, you can't do that, you know the leg won't let you.

KING: After the judges offered their onstage comments, you both went backstage to wait for the scores. Let's look at that big moment and the reaction. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will the judges please reveal their scores -- Carrie Ann Inaba?

CARRIE ANN INABA, JUDGE: Six.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Len Goodman?

LEN GOODMAN, JUDGE: Six.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bruno Tonioli?

BRUNO TONIOLI, JUDGE: Six.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, well, that's going to give you guys 18.

MILLS: Great.

ROBERTS: We're there. We're all right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're pleased. All right, well...

HILLS: I thought I would be the lowest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not the lowest.

HILLS: I thought I'd be the lowest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Hey, what did you make of that score, Jonathan?

ROBERTS: I think it was great. You always worry in the beginning. You don't want to come in too low, but you don't want to start too high because then it's hard to maintain that. So we're right in the middle. But mostly what's important to me is I was pleased with how Heather danced and performed. And she was good on the floor. She came to life. And I can't wait for our mambo next week and then, you know, hopefully as far as we can go.

MILLS: I was telling Larry we've got a trick up our sleeve with the mambo.

ROBERTS: Yes.

KING: You do. You said earlier that you were surprised that the score was better than you thought. You thought you'd be low score. MILLS: Yes, I mean I thought, you know, only because I watched Leeza Gibbons, and I watched Paulina Porizkova, and I thought their scores would be much higher. So when theirs weren't that high, I though, oh, ours are going to be you, know, 2s, 3s, and 4s.

KING: How do you think you're going to do with the viewers?

MILLS: I don't know. That's an interesting one.

ROBERTS: Yes, we have no idea.

MILLS: That's an interesting one.

KING: How does it work, they tell you next week?

ROBERTS: I mean we never know quite where we place in the voters. We just know what the judges mark and then you see if you get kicked off or not. But I mean all we can really control... KING: You wouldn't get kicked off if you won the viewer vote, right?

ROBERTS: There's no way, yes. So...

MILLS: We do the dance on a Monday and then we do -- I think they vote and then the results are on a Tuesday.

KING: You're going to dance here in a little while, right?

ROBERTS: That's right.

MILLS: We're going to try in this tiny studio.

KING: It's small. Give me a clue what you're going to do with this mamba.

ROBERTS: We can't say anything. It will be a complete surprise.

MILLS: Yes.

KING: All right, what surprised you the most about Heather?

ROBERTS: It was just her attitude that she wouldn't say no to anything. And it really was -- whatever I would put to her, she would go for it and that's great for me as a teacher.

MILLS: I couldn't always get it right, but I tried.

KING: What's the biggest challenge teaching her?

ROBERTS: I think realizing what her left leg can and can't do because sometimes the simplest things like walking is the hardest. And other times I ask her to go spin, spin, spin, and it's no problem. So I'm constantly amazed at what really is difficult and what is easy. Things we take for granted every day, you know, just walking and shifting weight around a corner is actually a real struggle.

KING: Is it fun?

MILLS: It's so much fun. In fact, if you watch the B-roll all the way through, about 80 percent of it we're just laughing all the time because I just can't take myself seriously when I'm floating around. And Jonathan is saying, get your neck out, get your neck out.

ROBERTS: I was so worried before I met her that she was going to be very posh and proper. And we laugh so much and have such a great time. And you know she's such a big vegan, she's been cooking me and the camera crew vegan lunch every day to try to convince us that, you know, that's how we should eat and it's better for us. And I have to admit it is actually good. So you know...

KING: Your wife is also a dancer?

ROBERTS: Yes, she danced with Jerry Rice before. And she was busy this season, so couldn't do it. But she's watching and giving her comments and supporting us.

KING: Do you dance in competition?

ROBERTS: Yes, we do a lot of competitions together and shows.

KING: What's your main line of income?

ROBERTS: Just doing shows, and doing -- teaching lessons. And we travel around the whole country, really, doing these kinds of demonstrations and little events like that.

KING: Are there still Arthur Murray studios?

ROBERTS: There still is, yes.

KING: Fred Astaire?

ROBERTS: Fred Astaire, yes.

KING: This show started it. We should get this clear, this started in Great Britain, right?

MILLS: It started in Great Britain. The original was called "Come Dancing," but it wasn't a celebrity thing. And the celebrity and trainer were strictly "Come Dancing." And you just get hooked on it. You know nobody can believe the phenomenon that's going on in America because in your heart everyone loves music and dance. And you all want to dance. And what I was hoping to do was not only try and encourage amputees to get up and dance, but to try to encourage people with two left feet, or any kind of inhibitions.

KING: Did you know who Heather Mills was?

ROBERT: I mean I knew obviously who she was married to and that she was a big campaigner and activist. But other than that, I didn't really know anything about her.

MILLS: I think you thought you drew the short straw when I walked through the door.

ROBERTS: What did I do to deserve this?

KING: I was asked to be on this show this year.

ROBERTS: Really?

KING: But I couldn't do that.

MILLS: Oh, you could.

KING: Come on.

MILLS: You could.

KING: Some Jew falling on his face.

ROBERTS: Well, maybe we'll have the two of you dance together right now.

KING: No, no, you two dance. First, I just had this surgery.

MILLS: Yes, you do.

KING: We'll come back with our dancers and they're going to dance. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back. Jonathan, Heather, you ready?

ROBERTS: We're ready.

KING: Go!

(DANCING)

KING: How far do you think they'll go? I'll ask you them when we come back. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: That singer by the way was Ella Fitzgerald, an act you would not want to follow, arguably the best ever.

Last night's text vote question was about Heather Mills. We asked if you expect her to be a finalist on "Dancing with the Stars." Twenty-eight percent said yes.

Heather, you go out there and prove them wrong.

Tomorrow night, by the way, a powerful, emotional hour with Bill Cosby, Toni Braxton, and more on the fight to solve the agonizing riddle of autism. It's the fastest growing disability development problem in America. Our text vote question is do you know someone that has autism? Text your vote from your cell phone to CNNTV, that's 26688, text "KINGA" for yes, "KINGB" for no. And we'll reveal how you voted tomorrow night.

Twenty percent think you're going all the way, Heather, that's not bad.

MILLS: That's not bad at all, is it?

KING: How far do you think you can go?

MILLS: Well, as long as I'm not the first out, then I'll be really, really happy. Third, I'm fine with, but I wouldn't want to be the first.

KING: Because?

MILLS: Just because it's not nice for anyone to be first out.

KING: John?

ROBERTS: Well, obviously I want to go as far as we can. You know this is my whole career and this is like my ultimate challenge is taking someone with only one leg and making them a dance champion. I mean, what's a better feather in my cap than that?

KING: The odds are against you, though, obviously because of the leg obviously.

ROBERTS: Yes.

KING: Other competitors include the former 'N Sync member, Joey Fatone; Muhammad Ali's boxing daughter, Laila; Leeza Gibbons; NBA all- star Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, the tallest guy ever; Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey; former "Cheers" star, John Ratzenberger; speed skater gold medal Olympian, Apollo Ohno; and super model Paulina Porizkova.

MILLS: Porizkova.

KING: Porizkova. Who is the biggest threat do you think of what you've seen?

MILLS: I think the people that have the best chance of winning on capability because I don't know what they're following because I don't know them all and how the public feel about them. I think Joey dances the best just based on the first night. But then he's had lots of dance training. And to be in a boy band, you know, you have to do all the choreographed moves. So whether he gets to the final, because the public would think, well, you know, he used to it already. But it was just amazing when the microphone came out and the poor partner that he whiplashed and they just both continued.

And then I think...

ROBERTS: I think Laila looked really good. One of the hardest things as the show goes on because the celebrities get...

KING: A lot of footwork.

ROBERTS: Yes, yes. But you get less and less time to prepare for the dances. So it's really that kind of ability to look natural and look calm and casual on the floor. And I think both Joey and Laila had that.

KING: How important is the way a couple looks?

ROBERTS: Looks are everything, I guess in this business. And it really is to have that right match and that movement that you look graceful and natural as you go around. You never want to look forced and looked like you have to push something.

KING: A hard competition?

ROBERTS: Definitely.

KING: Does it get down to really competing? Do you want to win?

ROBERTS: Yes, I mean, I definitely want to win. I think Heather wants to win for me and then she wants -- she's just having such a blast. It's so fun teaching her and working with her. And I would complain a bit, but she works so hard even though she's not going, you know, I want to be number one. She just wants to go out there and learn as much as she can. But she really puts in 150 percent. And so I'm thrilled to teach her.

KING: Do you get more the more she wins?

ROBERTS: Well, the longer I stay on, of course, then the better I do; so that's good.

KING: Now your wife is not competing this year?

ROBERTS: Right.

KING: Did you ever compete together with you with one partner and her another?

ROBERTS: Yes, when she was second with Jerry Rice, we were against each other. So you know all's fair in love and war.

KING: How do you work your time here? The show is again Monday night, right?

MILLS: Yes.

KING: So what do you do? You have to stay in the United States for a while?

MILLS: Yes. Well, my daughter is on holiday for a whole month so it's worked out perfectly. If I go past a month, which I can't even imagine, then we're going to have to fly back and forward on Virgin Atlantic, and then we thought we could practice up and down the aisle. And I can serve some drinks for Richard and do some spins.

KING: So when do you rehearse for Monday?

ROBERTS: We're practicing every day between now and then. You know we do three or four hours here and there when we can fit it in and just keep up the rehearsal. And then we want to try to already think ahead to what the next dance is, and make sure we're ready in case we go on.

MILLS: So in my car I'm doing all my studies for my exams in July for my nutrition degree.

KING: Your nutrition degree?

MILLS: Yes, I'm all biology, chemistry, hydrogen, bonds, neutrons, electrons, and protons at the moment.

KING: What's it for?

MILLS: And then the next minute, I'm going one, two, three, four. It comes under UCL in London. It's an individual body called BCNH.

KING: Boy, you never stop, do you?

MILLS: Well, I want to become a professor so that I can argue with the scientists about global warming, intensive farming, or the meat thin that comes out from the cows and how that's more than all the cars; just the facts that people aren't putting out there.

KING: Good luck to both you.

ROBERTS: Thank you.

KING: Great seeing you.

MILLS: Thank you.

KING: Good luck. Jonathan was on the show when I Cha-Cha here.

ROBERTS: Right.

MILLS: Yes.

KING: Heather Mills and Jonathan Roberts, you'll see them again Monday night on "Dancing with the Stars."

Tomorrow night, a major program on the question of autism, a problem that affects one out of every 150 children born in the United States. Bill Cosby will be one of the guests.

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