Paul McCartney engaged to girlfriend Nancy Shevell

[May 07, 2011]  LONDON (AP) -- Paul McCartney and his girlfriend Nancy Shevell are engaged, his publicist said Friday, nearly four years after they were first spotted together.

McCartney, 68, started dating the 51-year-old New York socialite and businesswoman following his bitter split from second wife Heather Mills.

McCartney publicist Stuart Bell confirmed recent media speculation over a proposal as true, but declined to give further details on when and how the former Beatle asked Shevell to marry him, saying only, "We're all thrilled for him."

The bride-to-be was tight-lipped but confirmed her engagement to The Associated Press.

"It's true," she said when contacted by telephone, but declined to comment further. "That's all, but thank you, have a good weekend."

The marriage will be McCartney's third. His first wife, Linda, died of cancer in 1998, and his 2002 marriage to Mills ended in divorce in 2008.

Shevell was married for more than 20 years to attorney Bruce Blakeman, a close friend of former New York Gov. George Pataki, who appointed her to the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

She also is the vice president for administration of New England Motor Freight Inc., a New Jersey-based trucking company owned by her father.

McCartney, 68, and Shevell were first seen together in Long Island's Hamptons area in late 2007.

Since then, Shevell has become a red-carpet staple, appearing at premieres, fashion shows by McCartney's daughter Stella, the Grammys and McCartney's concerts around the world.

[Associated Press]

Jim Fitzgerald in New York contributed to this report.

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