Heather Mills, the former wife of Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney, has shared details of an 'unlucky' skiing accident that saw her prosthetic leg brace break while on the slopes in Austria.
The Incident on the Slopes
The 57-year-old former model and Paralympic athlete was on a work trip for her health food brand, No Bloat, in Hinterglemm, Austria, when the accident occurred. According to her spokesperson, the mishap happened on the final day of her trip during the last run of the day.
With the slope empty, Mills decided to pick up speed, but the force proved too much for her leg brace. The screws released, causing the brace to come away and leading to a crash. Fortunately, she did not break any bones, but the residual limb swelled, requiring her to use crutches for five days.
Resilience and Recovery
Demonstrating her characteristic resilience, Mills shared a photo on Instagram following the accident. Pictured in an orange ski suit and sunglasses beside her friend Maja, she remained in good spirits. She captioned the post, 'I hope everyone's New Year has got off to a great start,' adding she felt 'lucky' to have escaped largely unharmed.
Remarkably, the former Dancing on Ice star proceeded to complete a scheduled photoshoot the very next day, navigating on orange crutches. Her spokesperson confirmed the prosthetic leg itself was not damaged and that a visit to a clinic for a few hours would be sufficient to repair the brace, which had succumbed to the intense forces of high-speed skiing.
A Life of Sporting Achievement and Advocacy
This incident is a minor setback for a woman who has consistently pushed boundaries in adaptive sports. Mills, who lost her left leg below the knee after a collision with a police motorcycle in London in 1993, competed for the British Disabled Ski Team from 2010 to 2013, winning multiple World Cup medals.
In 2023, she was officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest disabled female skier, a title earned after clocking an incredible 102.5mph in Vars, France, in 2015. Her Paralympic ambitions for the 2014 Sochi Games were ultimately thwarted by a dispute over equipment regulations.
Beyond sport, Mills is a tireless advocate for amputee rights and prosthetic technology. She recently launched her vegan, gut-friendly ready meal brand, No Bloat, aiming to provide options for those with conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
The skiing accident came shortly after she spent Christmas in Brighton, East Sussex, with her partner, 39-year-old film producer and actor Mike Dickman. The couple first met on a train in 2019.
Heather Mills was married to Sir Paul McCartney from 2002 until their highly-publicised divorce in 2008, following which she received a settlement of £24.3 million. The former couple share a daughter, Beatrice, who is now 21.
