She's elegant, publicity-shy and oh-so-discreet, so why are Paul McCartney's family worried by his latest love?

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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He is a 65-year-old grandfather who has had more than his fair share of heartbreak.

But, right now, Sir Paul McCartney is grinning like a teenager in the first flush of love.

Strolling through the lobby of the exclusive Carlyle hotel in New York, following a romantic week-long trip to Antigua with stunning American millionairess Nancy Shevell, the former Beatle glowed as he gave waiting fans his famous 'thumbs-up' sign — something ex-wife Heather Mills banned him from doing on the grounds of its 'cheesiness'.

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Idyllic: Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell paddle in the Caribbean on their break in Antigua

Idyllic: Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell paddle in the Caribbean on their break in Antigua

Even the nearby presence of Heather, the woman who appears hell-bent on destroying him, for a pre-agreed handover of their daughter Bea could do nothing to ruin his new-found equanimity as he stepped into a waiting car and on to a dinner date with Nancy.

"He is really happy and determined to enjoy life again," says one of his close friends.

"And he believes Nancy is the key."

There has been a long line of eligible women queuing up to hold the hand of McCartney since his split from Heather two years ago.

They have ranged from Bridget Jones star, Renee Zellweger, who said he was "lovely", to model Christie Brinkley.

Actress Rosanna Arquette looked set to become a particular favourite following a string of dates.

But it is Nancy, 47, possibly the most glamorous trucking executive in the world, who has emerged as the most serious contender so far for the recently vacated title of Lady McCartney.

Elegant, refined, publicity-shy and discreet, she is everything Heather is not. She does, however, have many similarities to Paul's much-beloved and still-missed first wife, Linda.

Like Linda, she comes from a wealthy East Coast Jewish home with close family ties (Paul has, in fact, totally sworn off British women since his Heather experience). U.S. television doyenne Barbara Walters is her second cousin.

Growing up with money — and being a millionairess in her own right — means that nobody could accuse her of being a gold-digger.

But nobody could accuse her of resting on her gilt-edged laurels, either — McCartney likes his women to work as well as play — and she holds both a prominent position in her family's £250 million trucking business, New England Motor Freight (NEMF), and is a board member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York (the city's equivalent of London Transport).

Like both of Paul's ex-wives, she is a keen charity worker, although — like one of them — she does not shout about it.

She is co-chairman of the Arlene Walters Shevell Endowment Scholarship Fund, a foundation named after her mother to help the families of people with addictions.

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Look of love: Millionairess Nancy points out a starfish to the Beatles legend

Look of love: Millionairess Nancy points out a starfish to the Beatles legend

She and her now-estranged husband Bruce Blakeman, whom she met while studying transport at Arizona University, were a proper New York power couple — she an executive at NEMF, he a partner in a top law firm.

They had all the necessary assets — an apartment on Manhattan's exclusive Upper East Side, a townhouse in Long Island and a mansion in the Hamptons.

Bruce's family are staunch Republicans — his brother, Brad, is a strategist and close friend of George W Bush — and he was made commissioner of the New York Port Authority by the then Republican governor George Pataki.

The pair, who have a 15-year-old son called Arlen, split last year, making Nancy a particularly eligible divorcee on the New York singles scene.

Friends describe her as ambitious, intelligent and fashionable, but also "endearingly ditzy" just like ... well, you know who.

"She has always been very career oriented and is favourite to take over the family business," said one source in New York.

"But despite working in such a macho industry, she is all woman. She is very beautiful, but also takes a lot of care of herself and works hard to keep her figure trim. She has always been a clothes horse, with endless designer outfits and shoes.

"She is playful and intelligent, but not in an overbearing way. Women warm to her and men want to look after her. But she also has a steely side, and if she wants something she can be as stubborn as a mule."

She certainly won Paul's heart by playing the game both intelligently and patiently.

Nancy has known Paul for years on the East Hampton social circuit She and Linda were friends and the McCartney children nicknamed her Jackie O because she was so glamorous.

There was a falling out, however, when Nancy advised Paul against marrying Heather, who had been rude to her when they met.

"You don't have to marry everyone you date," she told him, in words that could come back to haunt her.

But last summer they bumped into each other again at a Hamptons party and gradually became close.

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Love boat: Nancy rubs sun cream on his chest as they go sailing together

Love boat: Nancy rubs sun cream on his chest as they go sailing together

At first it became clear to Nancy that after the rigours of marriage to Heather, Paul was not looking for anything serious — and simply wanted to play the field.

Just how much became clear when, after spending a weekend with Nancy in Long Island in November, he was pictured a few days later on a date in London with Rosanna Arquette.

At that time, Paul seemed unable to choose between the two very different American women and eight weeks ago, just before the start of his divorce hearing with Heather, he was seen on yet another date with Rosanna.

"For quite a while, Paul had both Rosanna and Nancy on simmer," said one source close to the singer.

"Both knew about the other, but they both played the game well and did not ask him to explain what was going on. I think everyone recognised he had to go through what we have called a 'Rod Stewart' phase and date a few people after everything he went through with Heather.

"He liked both Nancy and Rosanna a lot — particularly as they were so different from Heather. But in February Rosanna made the decision for him. They were being followed by the paparazzi and Rosanna couldn't stand it — she regards her privacy a sacrosanct.

"She has had lots of relationships with musicians — and even moved to Britain to be with Peter Gabriel — and she knows what they are like with their egos. She decided that this relationship, as exciting as it was to be dating a Beatle, wasn't going anywhere."

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So relaxed together: Sir Paul lies flat on his back as Nancy climbs out of the water

So, the path was left clear for Nancy.

Then, the Mail can reveal, two tragic deaths just a few weeks apart brought the pair closer than they could ever have imagined.

Just four weeks ago, Nancy's beloved brother and fellow NEMF vice-president, Jon Lawrence Shevell, died, aged 50.

Sources say Jon, a former semi-professional basketball player who experimented with drugs in his youth, had been ill for some time. He died in a room at the exclusive Beverly Hills Hotel.

The cause of his death was listed as "unknown".

Paul was in the middle of his divorce hearing when Jon died, but he flew to New York the day it was over to comfort Nancy — and to say goodbye to one of his own dear friends.

Neil Aspinall, the "fifth Beatle" who was the band's road manager, chief confidant and business adviser, died of lung cancer on March 26, aged 66.

To Paul, it was yet another person he had grown up with who had died prematurely, following in the footsteps of Linda, John Lennon and George Harrison.

Friends say it gave him the impetus to push things on with Nancy.

"They both needed something to cheer them up, so Paul suggested a holiday," said one.

"Nancy agreed immediately." The pair flew to the exclusive Jumby Bay resort in Antigua, where they rented a £6,000-a-night private villa. It was a big step for a couple who'd had only a few scattered dates across many months.

But if this was a make-or-break trip, it worked. Onlookers said they looked more like honeymooners than two middle-aged people with three marriages behind them.

In the seclusion and peace of Jumby Bay, the pair openly kissed and held hands. They talked, laughed, went sailing and swimming, and also enjoyed just being quiet together.

"They looked incredibly comfortable with each other," said one onlooker.

"You could see that it was still a sort of new-ish relationship as he seemed very keen to impress her. But there wasn't any forced conversation or stilted moments. They got on really well and it was actually very sweet to see the pair of them looking at each other romantically."

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Acrimony: With ex-wife Heather Mills before their bitter divorce battle

Acrimony: With ex-wife Heather Mills before their bitter divorce battle

Heather, predictably, is angry about the romance. She is angry that Paul has found someone so quickly after their divorce; she is angry that he went on a lavish holiday when (as she sees it) he pays a pittance for their child's maintenance (never mind the £24million she got in the divorce settlement) and she is angry that her ex already wants to introduce the new woman in his life to their daughter, Bea.

"Heather has decided that Paul has stabbed her in the back by conducting this romance," said one friend of the former Lady McCartney. "She can see that there is something different about Nancy and she is worried about what it means for her.

Long term love: Paul with first wife Linda who died of cancer

"She can't see that relations between her and Paul are just about as bad as they could get — she still thinks she has influence over him and now thinks Nancy is going to ruin that.

"They had a blazing row as soon as Paul got back to New York and she told him in no uncertain terms that Bea was not to be introduced to Nancy until she said so."

But it is not just Heather who has misgivings about the relationship. Paul's children, while heartily approving of Nancy, are worried that he is again jumping in with both feet too quickly.

"As Nancy once told him, he doesn't have to marry everyone he gets involved with," said a friend of his daughter Stella.

"But Paul is an old-fashioned boy and once he has decided he is in love he wants that person to be by his side.

"He likes being looked after by a wife and he likes waking up with someone next to him. He has been talking excitedly about plans for seeing more and more of Nancy and that worries Stella, Mary and James.

"Of course, they want him to be happy — that is what they want more than anything else — but things are suddenly moving very fast with Nancy, and the kids are just telling Paul to slow it down a little."

Meanwhile, he has a very personal project to be getting on with. Over the next few weeks, Paul will put the finishing touches to an exhibition in London of Linda's photographs, to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of her death.

Linda has obviously been very much in his mind during the dark days of his divorce from Heather, and he dedicated his recent Brits Outstanding Achievement Award to the woman he loved for more than three decades.

Clearly, he once thought that his relationship with Heather could match that with his first wife. He's a little older and wiser now, but it appears a space is finally opening up for a woman who is a lot more like Linda.

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