Paul McCartney is now reportedly offering Heather Mills a £40million divorce settlement - but on the condition that she doesn’t talk about the marriage.

Paul was rumoured to be exploring a gagging order, particularly when he found out she was making a video diary of the divorce proceedings, and now, according to the News of the World, he’s willing to pay for it.

A source close to the couple told the newspaper: “They are thrashing out a deal which would amount to between £30 million and £40 million over 20 years and there will be strict conditions.”

“Heather must reveal nothing about their personal lives… no books, no TV specials. She has one hell of a story and Paul wants a settlement to make sure it never comes out.”

“Heather has no intention of telling it because she knows it would only hurt their daughter Bea, but it would always be lurking in the background.”

“Any breach of the conditions would allow him to stop the payments — so basically he has control of Heather for the rest of his life. There’s a long way to go but it looks like that will form the basis of the settlement.”

The source also revealed “the war is over” between the two of them though: “Time is a great healer. When they split up initially Paul wouldn’t have anything to do with Heather. He wanted her totally frozen out.”

“But his anger is dying down. He doesn’t hate her. In fact, he quite likes her and enjoys her company. He also realises she’s the mother of his daughter — and a good one at that — and she’s the woman who he once fell madly in love with.”

“I don’t think there is a chance that they will get back together but the war is over.

“They have reached a new stage in their relationship where they can talk, be around each other and co-operate in the best way for Bea. It’s a huge relief for both of them.”