Heather Mills has bought a government-owned house in Slovenia formerly used by the country's president as a holiday home.

The estranged wife of Sir Paul McCartney is said to have paid £400,000 for the house in the former Yugoslavia.

A senior Slovenian government official has appeared on TV to confirm that the property, once used by president Janez Drnovsek, had been bought by Miss Mills.

Bozo Predalic, who helped negotiate the deal, said: "Miss Heather Mills has acquired the villa with her bid of 610,000 euros plus taxes. There were just two bidders and we took the highest.

"We are very happy with the price we agreed for this property that was one of the best in our portfolio."

The wooden house stands alongside a wood and beside a mountain. It is close to Lake Bohinj and has a large garden.

During her split with Sir Paul it was reported that 38-year-old Miss Mills was looking for a property in the country as an escape from the UK. She spent several weeks in Slovenia, staying with friends.

The country holds bitter-sweet memories for the former model. She fled to Slovenia some 17 years ago when her first marriage - to a dishwasher salesman - broke down. She worked as a ski instructor in the Slovenian Alps where she fell in love with a colleague called Milos. The pair dated for several months before deciding to end their relationship.

When civil war broke out in Yugoslavia in 1991 she soon became aware of the scale of civilian casualties. It was this that later inspired her to launch her charity campaigning against landmines.

Ironically, her charity work is said to have contributed to the break-down of her marriage. Sir Paul is said to have urged her to cut back while she wanted to do more.