Heather Mills McCartney broke down in tears on live TV on Wednesday morning as she told GMTV how press intrusion has ruined her life.
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife, who is locked in divorce negotiations with her husband, launched a fierce attack on the media for 'pushing her to the edge' and called on the public to stop buying tabloid newspapers.
During the interview with GMTV, Heather compared the media's treatment of her to that of Kate McCann and Princess Diana, and said she had received death threats and been 'close to suicide'.
Talking to host Fiona Phillips, Heather became tearful as she said: "They make up such lies. They've called me a whore, a golddigger, a fantasist, a liar, the most unbelievably hurtful things, and I've stayed quiet for my daughter.
"But my daughter... we've had death threats, I've been close to suicide. I'm so upset about this... I've had worse press than a paedophile or a murderer and I've done nothing but charity work for 20 years."
She later apologised for becoming upset, saying: "What are we doing as a nation buying these newspapers?
"We need to force a change as a responsible nation."
Heather also strongly refuted suggestions that she has 'used the press', answering: "I haven't used the press for anything but my charity".
She also claimed that she had only appeared on the US TV show Dancing With The Stars because 'the charity needed money'.
Throughout the interview, Heather sat clutching a scrapbook with clippings she claimed showed pictures taken by aggressive paparazzi photographers, alongside apologies printed by newspapers relating to their coverage of her.
