DANCING with the Stars” producers had no intention of casting Heather Mills in last season’s show – until they read a report linking Paul McCartney’s soon-to-be ex to the ABC show.

Then the bells went off.

“We read a false story in a British tabloid – that got us thinking that she would be a great story and really inspiring to watch,” “Dancing” executive producer Conrad Green says in a new book about the show, according to realityblurred.com.

At the time, many people thought that the one-legged Mills – in the midst of a contentious divorce from McCartney – agreed to do the show in an attempt to soften her image after being portrayed in the press as a golddigger.

The couple’s divorce is expected to generate the largest divorce settlement in British history.

“We put out an offer and were astonished when she said yes,” Green says of Mills. “Sometimes the tail does wag the dog!”

The book, “Dancing with the Stars: Jive, Samba, and Tango Your Way into the Best Shape of Your Life,” written by Guy Phillips, features detailed “fitness routines” for dancing, and descriptions of all of the dances the show has ever featured (details on costumes, technique, judges’ comments, etc.).

Green also says that any potential celebrities would only be excluded from the show if they’d had “extensive” ballroom dancing lessons.