Sir Paul pulls out of charity gig

The former Beatle's withdrawal has led to the cancellation of the event, scheduled for 11 October.

The ex-Beatle is joint patron of the charity along with his estranged wife.

"As it is an event they both hosted, given their separation, Paul doesn't feel he can perform this year," said the charity's Keith Kelly.

'Financial blow'

The 2005 event raised a record $3m (£1.59m) for charity.

But newspaper reports that Sir Paul would make a donation matching that amount were played down by Mr Kelly.

He said: "This is not compensation and we have not asked for any money.

"Paul is not under any legal obligation, but he has offered to make a donation.

"He wanted to do this because he realises that not having the event this year is a big financial blow to us.

"The event has been cancelled because losing Paul at such short notice meant it was very difficult for us to replace him.

"We have not yet received a cheque so I have no idea how much he will give," added Mr Kelly.

Divorce lawyers

Lady McCartney, 38, who lost her leg in a road accident in 1993, has been involved with the charity for a decade, while Sir Paul became involved after they met.

They have jointly hosted the star-studded gala since 2001, with a performance by Sir Paul the main attraction.

The couple remain patrons of the charity despite their increasingly bitter divorce battle.

Mr Kelly said: "Through Heather, Paul got to know about the landmine issue and became involved with Adopt-a-Minefield.

"We are speaking to both of them regularly and the two of them continue to be patrons."

The McCartneys, who married in 2002, announced their split in May.

They have hired the same lawyers who represented Prince Charles and Princess Diana when they divorced 10 years ago.

Their legal teams will be battling over Sir Paul's fortune, which is believed to be more than £800m, and custody of their two-year-old daughter Beatrice.