EXCLUSIVE: Heather Mills wants to represent Britain at the Paralympics
HEATHER Mills has set her heart on winning an Olympic gold medal as a downhill skier.
The former lingerie model, who lost her left leg after being knocked down by a police motorcycle in 1993, is hoping to represent Britain in the 2014 Winter Paralympics – at the age of 46.
Heather, the former wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, has already impressed viewers with her feisty skating performances in Dancing on Ice.
Now she is preparing to step up her fitness regime, and in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Express, she said: “I’ve been skiing for many years and I’m much better at that than ice skating, so I’m training hard to try to get on the British Paralympic downhill team.
“That would be so great. You know when you set in your head things that you want to do and achieve? Well, I’ve ticked about 90 per cent of all the boxes, and this is one of the major ones remaining for me.
“If I manage to compete, it would be phenomenal – very inspiring for all the kids that I counsel.
Heather, the former wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, has already impressed viewers with her feisty skating performances in Dancing on Ice
“They didn’t believe they could do anything and they are now trying ice skating and roller blading and biking and swimming, which is wonderful.”
She realised that competitive skiing was a possibility after being asked to launch a skiing charity event.
She added: “It’s funny because, without realising what I was planning, the charity asked me if I’d launch the recent skiathon to raise funds for Disability Snowsport UK.
“I said ‘Can’t I take part in the race?’ and they replied ‘Oh, can you ski?’ I said: ‘Yeah, just a bit!’ Out of all the able-bodied people there, I was the fastest skier and the team I was on came second.
“Originally I was asked to try out for the British Paralympic cycling team. My times were good, but I got very bored being on my bike every morning.
“You’ve really got to love the sport you choose when you compete at that level. Anyway, I did say ‘You’ve got to be joking, I’ll be in my 40s when the Paralympics take place.’ Their response was ‘if you’re fit and your times are good, that doesn’t matter.’ So that planted a seed and I thought ‘I wonder if I’d be too old for the downhill skiing team for 2014?’.”
Heather added: “Having loved sport my whole life, competing in a Paralympics would be a dream come true.”
Miss Mills claims she has spent the bulk of her £24.3million divorce settlement from McCartney, saying she had given much of it to favourite charities.
