Mills no Lady in USA

Feb 27, 2007, 12:20 GMT

Heather Mills McCartney - Americans don\'t "do" titles...REUTERS/Fred Prouser

Lady Heather Mills McCartney will drop her title when she appears on US TV.

The former model - who has been using her maiden name since splitting from husband Sir Paul McCartney - shocked ABC bosses by refusing to be called Lady Heather.

Heather also insisted she would not use The Beatles' legend's surname when she signed to up appear in 'Dancing With The Stars'.

A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "It was a bombshell for ABC. Getting a Lady who was married to a Beatle was almost like signing royalty to them. They are gutted they had to drop the title."

Heather, 39, is entitled to call herself Lady until the couple's divorce is finalised.

The source added: "Legally, Sir Paul can't stop Heather from using his name. She is entitled to call herself Lady until the day they divorce.

"But Heather is calculating. If she used Paul's name to earn money, he could claim that half of it was thanks to him."

Meanwhile, Heather's appearance on the talent show has angered a British disability group.

The Federation of Disabled People claim her ability to dance means she is able-bodied and has no right to use priority parking spaces.

Kathy Gordon, of the Brighton and Hove Federation of Disabled People, fumed: "Clearly she has mobility, and morally, she should refrain from using the priority parking spaces. It's not fair on other disable people."

Heather wears a prosthetic limb after losing her left leg below the knee following a road accident in 1993.

She is regularly seen cycling and walking unaided near her Hove home and was recently photographed skiing.

(C) BANG Media International