Heather Mills suprised by 'thumbs up'

Heather Mills has admitted she's surprised by the positive reaction to her participation on US TV show Dancing With The Stars.

Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife won a place in the second round of the contest after stunning judges and viewers with a backflip - despite having a fake leg.

Her appearance on the ABC show has seen its internet message boards flooded with both abusive and supportive messages, with battles raging between her detractors and fans.

"People have preconceived ideas of what an amputee can do," Heather told USA Today.

"I wanted to show what I could do, to take the stigma away from the disability.

"The thing that has surprised me the most is the positive reaction. I'm touching people I didn't expect to touch."

The 39-year-old admitted her jaw-dropping move in Monday's mambo was a risk.

"I'm lucky it paid off," she said. "Your foot has to land exactly flat underneath you. If I had landed on my heel, I would have gone flying backwards. That would have been scary."

She said it was inevitable a negative picture would be painted of her in the media after she began dating former Beatle Sir Paul.

"I could have been Mother Teresa, and they would have vilified me," she said.

Heather revealed she had asked her dance partner Jonathan Roberts to include the "walkover flip" in their routine.

Click below to watch Heather's jaw-dropping walkover flip