Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney has given a donation of £1.6million to the “Adopt a Minefield” charity after pulling out of a gala dinner he was supposed to co-host with estranged wife Heather Mills.

The event was set to be the biggest fundraiser of the year for the charity but Paul backed out last month.

A spokesperson for the charity revealed: “It was built around the two of them hosting the gala.”

“You can understand that it’s simply not possible for them to work together although they remain committed to our work.”

The charity, which Heather has supported for a number of years, tried to find another celebrity to step in for the October dinner but were unsuccessful.

Adopt-a-Minefield director Keith Kelly said: “The event has been cancelled because losing Paul at such short notice meant it was very difficult for us to replace him.”

“Paul is not under any legal obligation but he has offered to make a donation. He has agreed to pay the charity for the gala not going ahead. This is not compensation and we have not asked for money.”

“He wanted to do this because he realizes that not having the event this year is a big financial blow to us. It usually raises between £1.5million and £2million. He’s been very generous in the past.”

Heather reportedly offered to pull out instead. A source told the Mirror: “she’s quite prepared to step back and not attend the event if that will mean he will go and carry on the fundraising because it’s vital to save children from suffering loss of limbs and similar tragedies.

“This applies to this or any other event. Her main concern is the charity.”

“She was really disappointed because she feels the problems in their marriage should not affect the potential victims of landmines. The amount of money that Paul has raised has done an awful lot of good all over the world and she was absolutely devastated when she heard he had dropped out.”

“But she is delighted to hear about the donation.”