31 JULY 2002
Romance seems to be in the air for the McCartney family. Just last month its patriarch, Sir Paul, tied the knot with his new lady love Heather Mills, and it looks like his daughter Stella could be next.

According to reports stateside, the Gucci designer accepted the proposal of her current beau, Wallpaper magazine’s charismatic former publisher Alasdhair Willis, last weekend.

The pair met at a fashion bash in June 2001 and have been a close item ever since. “I have never felt like this in a relationship before… it’s just a dream,” 30-year-old Stella said recently. Although the couple initially tried to keep their relationship secret they have been looking increasingly besotted over the last few months. The designer has refused to confirm reports of an upcoming wedding, however.

Her intended is a former advertising executive with a passion for the Gucci label and a reputation as a charmer. While both he and Stella attended her father’s nuptials in June, there is speculation over the new Mrs McCartney’s role in their own wedding plans.

Relations between Stella and Heather are known to be chilly, with the designer finding her father’s new partner hard to accept. “She still hasn’t got over her mother’s death,” says a source close to the family. “She finds it difficult to even talk about, and the idea of someone replacing her is almost impossible for her to handle.”