McCartney tells Mills he is ready to talk

Sir Paul McCartney has told estranged wife Heather Mills that he is willing to resume divorce negotiations in a bid to avoid a High Court battle.

The musician is rumoured to have had "three or four" telephone conversations with Mills ahead of their five-day hearing next month.

He is said to be keen to reach an out-of-court settlement after discovering that she will represent herself following her split from legal firm Mishcon de Reya last November.

A source told the Daily Mail that McCartney is concerned that Mills will reveal intimate details of their marriage in court, saying: "She is going to say that before they met people liked her and admired her, she was successful, had her own career and income. Heather is claiming that when they got together, he stopped her from having a career."

The singer's lawyers apparently made the first move to renew negotiations, telling Mills: "Paul is ready to talk."

The source added: "Paul and Heather have spoken three or four times in recent days over the phone. It seems that the mood has definitely changed and they are both now ready to resolve things sensibly."

It was recently revealed that McCartney has written a song about Mills for his new album.