Dancing With the Stars Gives Heather Mills a Charity Boost  4/4/07

Heather Mills' favorite charities have been boosted by cash injections ever since the celebrity amputee started Dancing With the Stars.

Organizations Mills, the estranged wife of Sir Paul McCartney, founded and supports were hit badly by press reports suggesting the former model was a "gold digger" after filing to divorce the former Beatle.

But she's thrilled public opinion is beginning to turn in her favor - because it means cash for her landmine and anti-animal cruelty charities.

She says, "What people didn't realize is the huge responsibility I have in running these charities and getting donations in to stop people being blown up or animals being skinned alive.

"When the donations went down because of the bad media, I rang a few editors and said, 'Y'know if you wanna pick on me that's one thing, but you're actually harming lives, don't you feel conscientious about that?' and they said, 'It sells papers, who cares?' and that devastated me.

"The charity donations have gone right up and it's a new beginning."

And there's more cash to come - one lawyer has offered to donate $100,000 to Mills' charities if she wins Dancing With The Stars.