Heather Mills has been awarded the highest media libel settlement in British legal history following her phone-hacking damages claim.

The former wife of Sir Paul McCartney’s, 51, and 90 others will receive the record payout after claims against News Group Newspapers (NGN).

She also received a ‘complete and unmitigated’ public apology from the group at the High Court in London.

Heather said in a statement today: ‘We have been awarded the highest media libel settlement in British legal history.

‘And with it, a complete and unmitigated apology for the criminal, targeted smear campaign waged against us by News Group Newspapers – including hacking, invasion of privacy, and the publication of countless falsehoods and lies between 1999 and 2010.’

The ‘substantial’ amount is not yet known.

Heather said she was feeling ‘joy and vindication’.

She continued: ‘My motivation to win this decade long fight stems from the desire to obtain justice not only for my family, my charities and myself but for the thousands of innocent members of the public who like me have suffered similar ignominious, criminal treatment at the hands of one of the world’s most powerful media groups.’

When asked if this was the end of her litigation against NGN, she replied: ‘This is the end for now – unless anything else pops up.’

An apology to Heather and her sister Fiona – whose claim was also settled – was read out at the hearing in London.

Ben Silverstone speaking on behalf of NGN said: ‘The defendant is here today, through me, to offer its sincere apologies to Ms Heather Mills and Ms Fiona Mills for the distress caused to them by the invasion of their privacy by individuals working for or on behalf of the News of the World.

‘The defendant accepts that such activity should never have taken place and that it had no right to intrude into the private lives of Ms Heather Mills or Fiona Mills in this way.’

David Sherborne, for the Mills sisters, said: ‘The claimants were, and still are, profoundly upset to discover the sustained and repeated invasions of privacy by individuals working for or acting on behalf of the News of the World.

‘The claimants believe that the publication of articles in the defendant’s newspapers had a seriously corrosive effect on relationships with their friends and family, some of which can never be repaired.

‘The sisters’ claims were settled on the basis that NGN made no admission of liability in relation to their allegations of voicemail interception or other unlawful information gathering at The Sun.

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