Mills: I treated nanny like a daughter

HEATHER Mills insisted she treated her former nanny “like a daughter”.

Giving evidence at an employment tribunal brought by Sara Trumble, the former model said they got on so well she had been asked to be godmother to Ms Trumble’s child.

Ms Trumble, 26, is seeking compensation from her former boss on the grounds of sex discrimination and unfair dismissal and claims she suffered changes to her terms after her maternity leave.

The former nanny told the hearing in Ashford, Kent, Ms Mills made the lives of all her staff a misery but she was the only one prepared to speak out.

But giving evidence, Ms Mills said: “I treated Sara like my daughter as she often complained her mother was cold and distant. I spent much time consoling her, especially when she said she was having problems with her partner.”

Ms Mills said after her nanny had her baby “she asked me to be godmother to her daughter”.

She said she met Ms Trumble when she was a beauty therapist at a health club in Rye, East Sussex.

“She gave me a great massage when I was seven months pregnant. I purposely booked in Sara from then on, especially when she said she was only earning an average of £20 a week.

“I tried to think of ways she could earn more money and said maybe when my baby was born she could babysit to supplement her income.”

Ms Mills said she and former husband Sir Paul McCartney took Ms Trumble on as a nanny.

Ms Mills said she gave Ms Trumble £1,500 after she had some money stolen and also £500 for a deposit on a flat when she wanted to move out of her parents’ home.

Ms Mills said she gave Ms Trumble lots of gifts when she had her daughter, including her breast pump.

She said Ms Trumble handed in her notice “out of the blue”.

Ms Trumble told the tribunal panel Ms Mills forced her to say positive things about her to a film crew and made her work long hours without extra pay.

Ms Mills kept angrily walking over to speak in her solicitor’s ear, at one point prompting her sister Fiona to tell her to sit down.

Ms Trumble admitted Ms Mills was often generous towards her, giving her several monetary gifts along with a Daihatsu Copen convertible car.

Ms Mills said of her role as boss: “I wasn’t demanding and that’s always been my problem.

The tribunal was adjourned until tomorrow.