Legendary musician and The Beatles foreman Paul McCartney has five children, two of which are his daughters Stella and Heather McCartney.
The two McCartney sisters live distinctively different lives—Stella is famous for her mega-popular and successful luxury fashion brand while Heather chose a more low-key route and became a pottery artist.
Iconic English musician Paul McCartney is best known for cementing his place with the globally sensational band, The Beatles. Apart from being a legendary rockstar, McCartney is also a doting father of four girls—Heather Louise, 60; Mary Anna McCartney, 53, Stella Nina, 51, and Beatrice Milly, 19—and one son, James Louis McCartney, 45.
McCartney’s eldest, Heather, is his adoptive daughter, born to his first wife, American photographer Linda Eastman. Before Eastman passed away in 1998, the former couple went on to have three more kids—Mary, Stella, and James.
After Eastman tragically passed away from breast cancer, McCartney was left devastated and reportedly wept for an entire year. In 2002, he married former English model Heather Mills and welcomed his youngest daughter, Beatrice McCartney, just before the ex-couple split when she was three.
McCartney is completely devoted to being a dad of five. The legendary artist gave insight into what he views as essential when it comes to being a father:
“As far as being a dad is concerned, I’ve always just tried to give my kids a bit of guidance if they seem to need it – but that was mainly when they were younger. Now that they are older, they’re guiding me!”
In an interview with Telegraph, the iconic artist spoke about how much he loves being a dad to his five kids. On his own blog, The Beatles singer attested to how attentive he is to how his role as a father changed as his children got older:
“They don’t need so much guidance these days, but if there’s ever a problem, I’m [delighted] to be the guy they come to [and] that’s largely the thing about being a dad. You’re just there to help, and I suppose [to] have fun with – we do have a lot of fun. Now they’re older, [and] we can have a drink together, for instance!”
Though McCartney has four daughters, there is a most apparent and noticeable difference in lifestyle between his eldest, Heather, and his third, Stella.
Heather Louise McCartney was born in Tuscon, Arizona, on December 31, 1962, to Linda Eastman and Joseph Melville See Jr. When she was three years old, her parents divorced, and her mom met her stepfather in 1967.
Eastman moved with her daughter to be with McCartney in England, and the couple wed in March 1969, which was the same year McCartney adopted Heather.
Stella Nina McCartney was born in London, on September 13, 1971, to Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman. The fashion design mogul built her own claim to fame outside of having a famous dad.
She is considered one of the most renowned fashion designers in the world and developed a keen sense of fashion at just twelve years old. For Stella, it was imperative for her to accomplish projects of her own outside of using her famous last name and her dad’s popularity.
Stella started designing clothes at a very young age. When considering how to go about establishing herself as an individual and building her hugely successful brand, she understood the pressure she already faced, having come from an already famous family:
“I was very aware of the kind of eye on us as a family unit. Just being pre-judged and [establishing] my own sense of self within all that, yeah, it was really important.”
McCartney’s kids may have grown up with access to all the amenities that come with having a rockstar for a father, but his two daughters chose to maintain different lives. One is still luxuriously lavish, while the other is embedded in creative humility.
Following in her parents’ creative footsteps, Heather began studying printing at a Photographers’ workshop in Covent Garden, London. She went on to win the Young Black and White Printer of the Year award. After studying printing, she went on to study pottery and design at a tertiary institution, where she became an established potter and created her line of houseware products—Heather McCartney Designs and when asked about the source of her inspiration, she made special mention of her parents and siblings.
When her products were launched in 1999, her father traveled to Atlanta to support her brand. This was McCartney’s first public appearance since he was seen at his previous wife, Eastman’s memorial. McCartney was an incredibly proud father at his daughter’s launch and expressed the following sentiment about his eldest daughter:
“I’m happy to be here. She’s a lovely girl, and I’m very proud of her…It’s what Linda would have liked. I know that.”
Although McCartney’s eldest daughter is not his biological child, he immediately adopted her as his own. According to Heather, though she acknowledges the influence that her biological dad has had on her, she primarily considers McCartney to be her dad.
The English potter, who traveled back to Arizona the same year of her product launch to live with her biological father before he passed away, now has art exhibitions around the world. Specific locations include Phoenix, Tokyo, New York, Sydney, and Paris. Though she has made the occasional industry appearance, primarily concerning her father’s endeavors, she does her best to lead a private life away from the limelight.
World-renowned fashion designer Stella McCartney leads a significantly divergent lifestyle from her older sister. The talented designer got her start in the fashion industry at sixteen.
McCartney’s relationship with Heather’s mother was one that was extremely special to the British artist. When McCartney married Mills, he was reportedly still not over Eastman or her passing. While Mills had moved in with the vocalist, McCartney was still heavily invested and devoted to his relationship with Eastman and could not get over her death.
A biographer who wrote McCartney’s memoir commented on the difficulty that Mills had faced when she started her relationship with McCartney. Additionally, friends of Mills had confirmed the hardships that the couple had faced when it came to McCartney’s inability to let his ex-wife go—the house Eastman and McCartney shared together was still riddled with loving memorabilia of Eastman. According to the source:
“It must have been [challenging] for Heather to move into the life of a man who had been famously happily married for years. They had children together, and I’m sure he was still in love with Linda. He probably hadn’t got[ten] over it [and] he kept Linda’s ring on until the day before he married Heather.”
McCartney’s eldest daughter currently resides on her dad’s Waterfall estate in East Sussex. The pottery artist has never been married and does not have any children. Except for her sporadic posts on Facebook, of which there are only a few dating years back, she generally steers clear of social media and currently has no active or public profiles elsewhere.
She has always had an affinity for living a life for herself and credits her independence to how her parents raised her. The creative artist recalled a life-changing trip to Mexico, where she only had $200 in her pocket, and she learned the value of leading a humble life of solitude:
“I spent time with people who weren’t interested in money. They didn’t want the latest washing machine or television. They had nothing, but they were happy [and] they [simply] wanted to be left alone and allowed me to be – and I could relate to that.”
Meanwhile, world-renowned fashion designer Stella McCartney leads a significantly divergent lifestyle from her older sister. The talented designer got her start in the fashion industry at sixteen, when she scored an internship with Christian LaCroix in Paris, France. Following her internship, she studied at some of London’s top and most prestigious schools, such as Central Saint Martins.
At only 26 years old, she became the creative director of Chloé in 1997. However, the mogul revealed that her reign was met with a lot of resistance and that she felt slightly “at odds” with the rest of the individuals within the industry. Despite this, the fashionista always knew she could march to the beat of her own drum.
Like her older sister and other siblings, the fashion entrepreneur was heavily supported by her parents. She refers to their support as the gift that enabled her to be completely fearless no matter what obstacles may have been thrown her way.
In 2000, Stella was bestowed the title of Designer of the Year at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. She also stepped down from her position at Chloé, where she managed to triple their sales, to pursue her own self-titled fashion brand.
Stella’s animal cruelty-free and sustainable fashion line has since become one of the biggest and most iconic luxury fashion brands globally. The fashion designer has also expanded her brand to include luxury perfume, beauty products, and menswear.
Having a keen focus on ensuring her brand keeps sustainability efforts as a top priority while never compromising its luxurious and edgy chic tone is what the Stella McCartney brand is all about. The brand has been worn by several noteworthy supermodels, including Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.
The iconic fashion mogul has also designed for a plethora of celebrities, including the British royal family— she created Meghan Markle’s wedding reception dress and was honored by The Queen herself for her contributions to sustainability and fashion. Remarking on her two-decade-long presence in the industry, Stella found herself going back and forth between two emotions—fearlessness and fear.
With a reported net worth of $75 million, she remains one of the most successful professionals in the fashion industry. In 2021, she released a limited-edition capsule collection in dedication to The Beatles in support of their “Get Back” documentary. Speaking about the cultural significance of her dad’s band, she said:
“The Beatles were the faces of a cultural movement for positive change that continues to shape the lives of millions [worldwide]. I hope this capsule celebrates and communicates these ageless messages to a new generation.”
With an acute focus on building a luxury brand utilizing sustainable developments, the fashion mogul’s agenda includes creating garments that are as desirable as they are environmentally friendly. The luxury fashion designer is also the wife of the Chief Creative Officer of Adidas, Alasdhair Willis, and a mother of four children—Miller, Beckett, Bailey, and Reiley Willis.
Stella’s activism and sustainability efforts trace back to her mom, who inspired her. In addition to being a photographer, she was also an animal rights activist. Her mother’s compassion extended further than an interest in humanity and set the tone for a huge part of the fashion entrepreneur’s outlook concerning her luxury fashion brand.
Stella also manages and oversees her own charity foundation called Stella McCartney Cares in support and dedication to women with breast cancer. The cause is one that is very close to the world-renowned designer’s heart because her mother had passed away battling the same complication.
McCartney’s two daughters may lead wholly separate and different lives, but one thing they share is their love of pursuing creative endeavors. They remain close and supportive of one another while loved immensely by their father.