Divorce talks between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are heading towards an open war in court. UK tabloid The Daily Mirror reports the former Beatles star would not sign off on a $112 million settlement unless his wife of four years agreed to a confidentiality agreement banning her from talking about their marriage. But she refused and it is believed 65-year-old McCartney will now take the divorce hearing as far as necessary to quash 39-year-old Mill's allegations of domestic violence, including stabbing her in the arm with a broken wine glass.

Mills has allegedly indicated she is willing to sacrifice part of McCartney's proposed settlement to speak out on chat shows and publish a biography about her marriage to the former Beatles star.

The Mirror claims Heather was offered $112 million plus an annual income between $4.5-7.8 million a year if she signed the gagging clause.

It said she then offered to take $33 million less as long as the gagging clause was dropped.

The confidentiality clause Paul is seeking is reportedly also to protect the conflicting couple's daughter Beatrice, who will turn four later this month.

The warring couple spent more than eight hours with their legal teams behind barricaded doors in court last Thursday in an attempt to prevent the negotiations progressing to the high court.

A five-day hearing in the high court has been pencilled in for February but with no settlement negotiations imminent after an already lengthy battle, the fight could continue well beyond that.