Heather Mills
A model who rebuilt her life after a devastating accident to become a vocal campaigner for landmine victims and veganism.
Born 1968 (age 58)·English former model, media personality, businesswoman, and activist·Birthday: January 12·Generation X
Biography
Heather Mills's life story is one of dramatic reinvention. A successful model in the 1990s, her world changed in 1993 when she was struck by a police motorcycle in London, resulting in the amputation of her left leg below the knee. Rather than retreat, she used her public profile to become a formidable advocate, campaigning tirelessly for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and for the rights of amputees. Her high-profile marriage to Paul McCartney thrust her further into the spotlight, followed by a contentious divorce. Mills later channeled her energy into business, launching a successful vegan food company, VBites. Through controversy and personal challenge, she has remained a persistent, outspoken figure for the causes she believes in.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Heather was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Heather Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Heather's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became a prominent campaigner for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.
- Founded VBites, a company producing plant-based meat and dairy alternative foods.
- Won a substantial divorce settlement from Paul McCartney, a portion of which she stated would go to charity.
- Competed on and won the UK reality show 'The Jump' in 2014, a competition for celebrities in winter sports.
Did You Know?
She was awarded the Serbian Royal Gold Medal of Merit for her humanitarian work in the Balkans.
She once waterskied across the English Channel to raise money for charity.
She holds a patent for a specially designed prosthetic limb for skiing.
Before modeling, she owned a string of successful businesses including a chain of clinics.
“I turned my pain into a platform for landmine victims and prosthetic access.”
