A former nanny for Heather Mills described yesterday how the vain ex-model demanded that staff say nice things about her on TV — and quizzed them to find out if her hunky new boyfriend was flirting with them.
Sara Trumble, who’s suing Mills for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal, told a British employment tribunal that Sir Paul McCartney‘s ex-wife became bitter and high strung after their split. When a documentary crew arrived, Trumble related, “I was told to say [on camera] how wonderful Heather was. The interview was orchestrated entirely by Heather. I had no choice but to take part.”
She also said she felt “awkward, upset and embarrassed” when Mills kept asking her whether Jamie Walker, a resort guide she met in Tenerife, ever flirted with her.
Trumble met Mills in 2003 and took a job looking after Beatrice, Mills’ daughter with McCartney, the following year. Mills became more demanding over time, and Trumble was often expected to stay late for no extra pay while the couple was out.
After the pair split in 2006, “Heather was very bitter toward Paul,” Trumble said. “I was, I believe, a great source of comfort and support for Heather at this time.”
When Trumble became pregnant in 2007, Mills demanded she accompany her and Bea to the United States, where she was competing on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Trumble, who was paid just $390 a week, testified that she was ordered back to work from maternity leave: “[Mills] wanted to know when I was going back to work. She left a message — it was something about Bea not having a nanny. It was a really rude, horrible message, and I was reduced to tears.”
But after returning to work, Trumble found herself doing paperwork and cooking meals for Mills, who then announced at a staff meeting that Trumble would be a full-time cleaner. She then quit.
Mills, who’s expected to give evidence today, sat in court and muttered to friends throughout Trumble’s testimony.