'All in all, we come out with nearly 25 million (pounds),' Mills told reporters on the steps of London's High Court, adding: 'The most important thing for me is to get this over and done with.'

Mills, a former model turned charity campaigner, described the 24.3 million pound settlement as 'incredible' and that she was 'very, very, very pleased' for herself and the couple's four-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

'It was always going to be a figure between 20 and 30 million. Paul was offering a lot less than that,' she added.

She said the singer-songwriter had offered her 15.8 million pounds but the judge made the award after estimating his fortune to be about 400 million pounds.

McCartney's riches have previously been estimated at about 825 million pounds.

Mills, 40, said she was appealing the publication of the judgment in full, arguing that to do so was a breach of human rights legislation guaranteeing the right to respect for private and family life.

She could be back in court as early as Tuesday morning to mount that legal challenge. -- AFP