We all grieved for Paul McCartney when he lost Linda to cancer in early April 1998. He had stated so often that she was the love of his life, his soulmate, the only one who would ever really know him. Yes, it was truly sad when she died leaving him bereft and seemingly lost.

Then he met Heather Mills barely a year later in 1999. We watched the courtship develop at lightning speed. We saw Paul smiling again and reveling in what was obviously new-true love. Heather shared his passion for things like conservation and animal-rights; the engagement followed. Then their wedding in Ireland in 2002. We were happy for them, well, most of us. We hoped for them to be happy but we all know how it all ended. But for whatever reasons the marriage ended, whether you like Heather Mills or loathe her, I think she had an uphill battle from the start.

Many say Heather tried to fill Linda’s shoes. I don’t believe this. Heather is too independant; too individual and too much her own woman to have tried to walk in another woman’s steps. However she did live in Linda’s shadow.

Now Paul, divorced from Heather, is reportedly becoming attached again to a new – and of course younger - woman, his fans will be glad to see him happy again. But will he be? will he ever be as happy with another woman as he was with Linda…will any woman be able to represent to him what she did?

Paul, I think, is one of those men who cannot let go of their one true love. Whether they lose that love through being dumped, divorced or widowed, it makes things almost impossible for the woman who follows. I pitied Heather as I pity any woman who tries to find a permanent space in Pauls heart. In some ways I think men like him should stay single – Linda is too well known as Paul’s soulmate. Yes he deserves to be happy, yes he deserves companionship. However unless men like Paul take that lost love off their pedestal they will never be truly happy with anyone else.

The woman who takes her place by Paul’s side in the future will need to be more special than Linda ever was. One thing remains to be seen though - is there a woman alive, who in his eyes, is?