Paul McCartney, born June 18, 1942, is a worldwide icon… he has lived a long, and extremely successful life and has been in the spotlight since a very young age.
Throughout his many years of fame, Paul’s love life has also been very public. He has been married three times in his life and has five children.
Though not his child by blood, Paul’s first child, Heather McCartney, was the child of his first wife, Linda Eastwood, who became his daughter after Paul adopted her following their marriage in 1969. Paul and Linda later had three children together: Stella, James, and Mary.
Linda tragically passed away in 1998 and Paul later married Heather Mills; the two had one child together, Beatrice, before they divorced in 2008.
Paul later married a successful businesswoman, Nancy Shevell.
WATCH NOW: Paul McCartney reveals The Beatles’ final song created with AI. Article continues after video.
Who is Paul McCartney’s wife?
Paul has been married three times throughout his life, however, he is currently married to Nancy Shevell. Paul has previously been married to Heather Mills and Linda Eastwood. His relationship with Linda was his longest-lasting marriage with the two having been married for 29 years before she died of breast cancer in 1998.
Scroll on to read all about Paul McCartney’s wives…
Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell (m. 2011)
Nancy and Paul’s love story dates all the way back to the summer of 2007 when the two crossed paths while staying at their homes in the Hamptons. At the time, Paul was 65 while Nancy was 48, giving the two a 17-year age gap. In November 2007, Nancy and Paul were seen kissing… at this time, Paul was in the midst of a very public divorce with Heather Mills. After Paul and Heather’s divorce was finalised, Paul flew Nancy to Antigua where they both stayed at a private resort in Jumby Bay. “There were definitely sparks between them,” an observer told PEOPLE at the time. “They seem to be having a very happy and relaxed time together in paradise. They seem not to have a care in the world.”
In early 2011, Paul worked with renowned jeweller Neil Lane on an engagement ring for Nancy. “He was very excited and very serious about finding the right one because he wanted something truly exceptional,” Neil said. Paul ended up selecting a rare, 5-plus-carat diamond in a platinum, Art Deco-style setting. The two didn’t reveal the news with a formal engagement announcement… instead, Nancy slipped on her ring at the 2011 Met Gala in New York City. However, Paul’s daughter Stella was co-charing the event so Nancy decided to wear the ring on her right hand to avoid stealing the spotlight. A few days after the gala, a source close to Nancy told PEOPLE that “Nancy and Paul are getting married.” Paul’s rep later confirmed the news.
Paul and Nancy got married on October 9, 2011, with a simple ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall in London – the same venue where Paul married his first wife in 1969. Stella designed both Nancy’s dress and Paul’s suit for the special occasion and his other daughter, Mary, took photographs while his youngest, Beatrice, was the flower girl. Nancy and Paul have now been married for 12 years and been together for around 17. The couple are still very much happy and in love… in January 2023, Paul shared a blog post on his website where he wrote about his role as a father and a husband. “When it comes to being a husband… I see it as just trying to be good to my wife Nancy and trying to be considerate and romantic,” he said.
“I completely overdo Valentine’s Day! I mean, there’s not just one card, there are cards hidden around the room, and sometimes things even spill into the next day – it’s completely silly. If there’s an excuse to have some fun, I overdo it!”
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills (m. 2002 – 2008)
Paul and model Heather Mills were allegedly introduced by Piers Morgan, an English broadcaster, while at the Pride of Britain Awards in London in May 1999, just one year after the death of his first wife, Linda. At the time, Paul was 56 while Heather was 31… the two were 25 years apart in age. Paul and Heather later married in Glaslough, Ireland, on June 11, 2002. At the time of the wedding, Paul’s spokesman, Geoff Baker, issued a statement about the ceremony to the media outside the venue. “The ceremony was joyful and moving,” Geoff said.
“Heather captured the hearts of the congregation when, overcome by the emotion of the occasion, she briefly faltered and wept tears of joy whilst making her vows.” The two lived in the house Paul had shared with his previous wife, Linda, located in Rye, East Sussex. In 2003, Heather gave birth to their daughter, Beatrice.
Paul and Heather’s relationship eventually went downhill and the two separated in 2006, though their divorce was finalised in 2008. The divorce was VERY public due to their relationship having been very much in the spotlight over the years and the fact that Heather struggled to win the approval of both Paul’s family and the popular press. The couple announced their split on May 17, 2006, blaming it on their inability to conduct a “normal” relationship because of the “constant intrusion into [their] private lives.” Their separation also caught significant media attention as fans wondered what would happen with Paul’s £800m fortune and their daughter who was just two years old at the time. When their divorce was finalised almost two years later, it was reported that Heather received a £24.3m divorce payout from Paul.
Much later, in April 2023, Heather was examined by Channel 5 in a 90-minute program called The Trials of Heather Mills. IMDb states that the storyline of the documentary is, “How did a glamorous model and charity campaigner become a figure of hate?” In the documentary, author Pamela Cockerill, who was a confidant of Heather and ghostwriter of her 1995 biography, Out On A Limb, revealed information on the early days of Paul and Heather’s marriage. “I think Heather found it quite hard to live in the same house that, only a couple of years before, Linda had been living in,” she said.
“And the house hadn’t been changed that much. [Linda] was an inescapable presence because obviously, she was a big part of Paul’s life.” She continued: “There were little plaques saying ‘I love Linda’ over the doorways and photos of her around.”
The documentary also featured the appearance of Howard Sounes, who wrote Paul’s biography, Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. “I’m sure it must have been very difficult for Heather to move into the life of a man who had been famously happily married for years,” he said.
“They had children together and I’m sure he was still in love with Linda. He probably hadn’t got over it.
“He kept Linda’s ring on until the day before he married Heather.”
Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney (m. 1969 – 1995)
Paul met American photographer Linda Eastwood in May 1967 at The Bag O’Nails nightclub in Soho, London for a Georgie Fame concert. At the time of their meeting, Paul was 24 while Linda was 25. Paul and Linda attended the concert with different groups of friends and at one point of the night, when Linda left her table to get a drink, she passed Paul. “I stood up just as she was passing, blocking her exit. And so I said, ‘Oh, sorry. Hi. How are you? How’re you doing?'” Paul says in Barry Miles’ biography Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now. Two days later, they met again at a press conference where the Beatles were promoting their new album, Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club.
After they first met, Linda returned to the US to work and look after her daughter, Heather, who she had with her previous husband, Joseph See, who she was married to from 1962 to 1965. During this time, Paul had gotten engaged to his girlfriend of the time, Jane Asher, but their relationship did not last long, and the two later split. Paul and Linda didn’t meet again until 1968 when The Beatles were in New York… their relationship blossomed from there and after officially dating for a while, Paul invited Linda and her daughter to live with him in London. A year after dating, Paul proposed.
Paul and Linda got married on March 12, 1969, at London’s Marylebone Registry Office. Paul also adopted Linda’s daughter Heather on the day. Throughout their marriage, the pair welcomed their three beautiful children, Mary, Stella, and James. Paul and Linda had a long and happy marriage and went through a lot together… the breakup of the Beatles came as a shock to both of them, but they helped each other through it. Paul and Linda later teamed up and formed their band, Wings, with guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, drummer Geoff Britton and pianist Denny Lane. In an interview with Zane Lowe on the podcast The Interview Series, Paul said that it wasn’t hard to convince Linda to form Wings with him.
“I said to Linda, ‘Do you want to be keyboard?’ She immediately said, ‘Yes.’
“I said, ‘Great, you’re in,’ and it was like that. We just formed it from the ground up and it took a few years, but then we gradually had Wings,” he said.
Their marriage lasted almost three decades before Linda tragically died of breast cancer in 1998. Paul was left completely broken following Linda’s passing.
“I think I cried for about a year on and off,” Paul told the BBC in 2019.
“You expect to see them walk in, this person you love, because you are so used to them.
“I cried a lot. It was almost embarrassing except it seemed the only thing to do.”
