Feeling sorry for Heather Mills is not easy. Call girl, porn model, fantasist, gold-digger, publicity-seeker — these are all allegations that have stuck to Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife.
But, right now, Lady McCartney (as she still likes to be known) is certainly feeling very sorry for herself.
Sources have revealed that Christmas went out with a distinct bang for Heather, thanks to a fiery argument with Paul, who has recently undergone a serious but routine coronary angioplasty to unblock arteries in his heart.
Strong words were exchanged when the couple met to exchange Beatrice, their four-year-old daughter, after she spent the day with her dad.
It didn't take much to spark the argument — which took place out of Beatrice's earshot.
A source revealed: "It all started at the handover of Beatrice. Paul said to Heather, in what she thought was a sarcastic tone: 'Happy Christmas.'
"Heather replied: 'Happy f***ing Christmas!' And with that she laid into him, saying she thought he'd ruined Beatrice's Christmas by not settling [the divorce] by now.
"She told him that she was on the edge, at her wits' end and really feeling under pressure financially."
The row escalated even further when Heather discovered just how much Paul had bought their daughter for Christmas — some £15,000 worth of gifts, which included a top-of-the-range Bang & Olufsen sound system, a Sony karaoke system, a Barbie 4x4 car, ten different themed Barbie dolls, 20 outfits with shoes from Harrods, a large selection of classical and pop CDs, a children's electric guitar, and a keyboard player.
Heather angrily told Paul that he was just trying to buy the girl's affection. The source added that Heather also criticised Paul's choice of presents as being inappropriate.
"She was saying what a terrible role model Barbie was for Bea.
"And she was saying how annoyed she was that Paul appeared to be trying to push her into music when Heather is all about Bea growing up a free spirit who shouldn't be pushed — especially at such a young age — into any career," said the source.
"The truth of it, of course, was more likely that Paul just wanted to make it a Christmas to remember for Bea."
Indeed, it's quite a haul for one so young. Even more so when compared to Heather's selection of gifts for Beatrice — some books, clothes and girlie knick-knacks.
But here, perhaps, is the nub of it all. For while Heather may have celebrated the festivities at her large £3.25 million country mansion, she is all too aware that the rug is coming close to being pulled from under her, while her soon-to-be ex-husband still has his £850 million fortune firmly in hand.
A writ from her former divorce lawyers Mishcon de Reya for an unpaid bill of £2 million is the tip of the iceberg.
There is, say sources, an ever-growing overdraft of £1 million at the exclusive Coutts bank. She has weekly outgoings of more than £5,000, with next to no money coming in.
Friends say the only way she can pay the legal bills is by selling the nine-bedroom house in East Sussex — paid for by her ex-husband so he could be close to their daughter.
What's more, she is beginning to realise that instead of the £50 million figure it was first estimated she could get from Paul's fortune, she will now be lucky to get £10 million.
And at the rate she is spending, that will not last more than a couple of years.
(Happier than ever: Sir Paul McCartney with four-year-old Bea)
It's not just money on her mind. After TV interviews in which she talked about contemplating suicide, she has now been warned that, if Paul wants to fight her for custody of Bea, he will have a much stronger hand.
Then there are her obsessive fears about security and the idea that people she identifies only as "underground forces" want to kill her.
And, to top it all, there is the news that her ex has clearly moved on and has even introduced Bea to his new girlfriend, Rosanna Arquette.
"It's fair to say she is a woman on the edge," one of Heather's close friends said this week.
"She is very low and told me that this has been the worst Christmas of her life."
Arguably Heather, of course, has only herself to blame for her problems.
But, Heather being Heather, she sees everyone else — the media, her ex, the Establishment — as being at fault.
One of the keys to her growing problems is her undeniable paranoia about "dark forces" being out to get her.
"I have a box of evidence that is going to a certain person should anything happen to me," she said during her recent badly-thought-out publicity drive.
(Wits end: Heather's infamous apperance on GMTV last year)
She added: "I was contemplating that if I killed myself, then my daughter would be safe. Because when she's with me, maybe she's not going to be safe. It was devastating."
Like so many other aspects of her life that may or may not be true, she certainly believes her own hype and is terrified about the death threats, says her friend.
"People laugh at her, comparing herself to Diana but she really believes that there are parallels," she said.
"She thinks there is a conspiracy to bring her down, not just by Paul but the Establishment and the media — the men in grey suits.
"She believes they are trying to destroy her, and says: 'They will not be happy until I am dead.' "
Her fears are not totally ludicrous. A year ago, Surrey police did warn her of an "unspecified threat" against her, and gave her a panic alarm.
During her marriage, McCartney (who has a 24-hour team of bodyguards) impressed upon her the need for security in the light of John Lennon's assassination and the 1999 attack on George Harrison.
And if she cared to Google herself, she would see just how hated she is on certain websites.
But in her mind, the threat is so real that somebody wants her dead.
To that end, while Paul stopped paying for her security over a year ago, she spends more than £3,000 a week on bodyguards.
But that is just part of her spending. First class airfares to Los Angeles, £1,000-a-night hotel suites, designer clothes, an on-call personal trainer and expensive beauty treatments are still very much part of her life, as they always have been.
(New love: Paul is said to have already introduced his new girlfriend actress Rosanna Arquette (left) to daughter Bea)
"Ever since she was hanging out at the Dorchester with Arabs, Heather has been used to a five-star lifestyle," said a source.
And that is the problem. While she was used to buying everything from groceries to jewellery on credit (with her husband picking up the bill), now he refuses to pay.
This has led to instances where Heather, 39, has had to borrow money from her bodyguard to pay for a train home and put shopping back after discovering that her credit card had reached its limit.
While Paul has hardly left her living the life of a pauper — having paid the majority of the £3.25 million for her home, as well as the £750,000 for the house she also has in Hove — he has agreed, so far, to pay only for Bea's lifestyle, not her mother's.
Meanwhile, Heather's plans for making money of her own have also backfired. Anticipating a rash of offers after her appearance on Dancing With The Stars, America's version of Strictly Come Dancing, she set up five companies.
But four of the businesses (I Do Care, You Care Worldwide, Raspberry Fields Productions and Beauty and the Baby) are dormant, and the fifth, Dissoi Logoi Productions, is about to be struck off the Companies House register.
"She thought she would get all these amazing deals after being on Dancing With The Stars," said her friend.
"She thought she would be invited onto Oprah and would be filling in for Larry King (the TV interviewer).
"She set up all these companies in the belief that she would be hugely popular.
"But it all came to nothing. While people might have admired her dancing, as a personality, she is not a ratings winner."
Her biggest financial worry, clearly, is the bill from her divorce lawyers, from whom she parted by mutual consent last month after she went on a publicity drive to discredit her former husband — totally against the advice of her legal team.
Originally the plan had been to wait until she got her settlement before asking Heather to pay the lawyers' bill, which works out at £100,000 a month.
But following their split, and aware that the bill may not be the only debt she will have to pay when she eventually gets her pay-out, they have warned her that they are preparing a writ.
While this could, in effect, see her having to declare herself bankrupt, that is unlikely to happen.
Realistically, the law firm will still wait until she wins her divorce settlement.
For now, at least, Heather is going to be representing herself in court.
And while being a "litigant in person" could win her sympathy from the judge — she has been warned her recent publicity offensive may have harmed her case.
"Originally, the judge seemed sympathetic when she showed him her video of how she was being followed by the paparazzi," said one legal source.
"But now, it could be argued, she has invaded her own privacy by going on television, talking about the most personal stuff.
"Her comments about wanting to commit suicide have also created worries about her mental health and whether she is fit to look after Bea.
"Equally, trying to put Paul down in public will have negated her arguments about how she helped him get over his grief after the death of his first wife, Linda.
"In terms of her legal case, by going on TV and ranting so freely, she has done it immense harm."
While her bankers, Coutts, have not yet tried to rein in her growing debt with them, they have, according to sources, let it be known that they will not let her overdraft reach millions.
Feeling desperate, Heather has tried to talk McCartney into a quick out-of-court settlement over the past few weeks, indicating that she would be happy to settle for £10 million.
But the man who had initially hoped that the divorce would be "amicable" no longer has time for her pleas.
"When she tries to talk to him about anything other than Bea, he says: 'Let's try and keep things professional,'and refuses to talk about it,' says her friend.
"He knows he is in the strong position and after all the muck she has thrown at him — accusing him of assaulting her and having a drink problem — he is not going to make things easy for her."
He has another reason for smiling — a burgeoning relationship with the actress Rosanna Arquette — which rankles with Heather, says her friend.
"She can see everything going so wonderfully for Paul. He seems really happy and he has totally got the upper hand in the divorce case.
"A few million here or there will not make any significant dent in his huge fortune, but he is not even willing to help her out with the shopping.
"She, meanwhile, is miserable, alone and full of money worries."
Heather Mills is not necessarily a woman who inspires sympathy, but you could join her in wondering, where did it all go so wrong?
GENEROUS Sir Paul McCartney spent £8,000 on birthday gifts for Heather Mills — while she was secretly hiring a firm to SPY on him. 
