In the first episode of the Sky Original documentary Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, the 48-year-old reveals a harrowing incident from her childhood that she says altered her life forever: being sexually assaulted by a stranger in a park at the age of seven. Her recollection of the event, which she describes as 'disgusting', is devastating viewing.
'I remember it clear as day, his face, the feelings of what he did,' she recalls. 'The police were talking – I don't know what they asked – but I remember they took my knickers. Through the years there's been abuse from men against me. Taking advantage of me from a young age for their self-benefit.'
Impact on Relationships
Katie says the sexual abuse led to her wanting male attention but not wanting to be touched. This coping mechanism has haunted her for years and ultimately led to the creation of Jordan, her Page 3 pre-surgery alter-ego, whom she calls 'ugly, ugly, ugly'. 'I wanted people to want me. I wanted people to want to f**k me, but the most powerful thing about it is they couldn't touch me, it's just a picture,' she explains.
The documentary shows that Katie is incapable of being alone and desperately looking for love in all the wrong places. 'I'm such a strong person, but when I've been in love, I've been blind. I've always needed a man, always been vulnerable and needy,' she says.
A Life in the Spotlight
Katie's love life has been seen as a joke. She has been married four times and engaged nine. There have been glossy magazine deals, paternity rows, and countless public feuds. Recently, she married suspected conman and AI enthusiast Lee Andrews after knowing him for a week. Despite the lows, her cheeky sense of humour shines through in several witty moments, such as when she digs through her garage and discovers a box containing artefacts from her relationship with Peter Andre, exclaiming: 'Oh, that's not a good one to pick up…'
She also mocks Victoria Beckham when recalling her fears that then-boyfriend Dane Bowers was in love with the singer. In a later incident, she broke into his flat and stole the right foot of all of his Nike TN trainers after fearing he had moved on with a model. 'Even then he didn't give me attention and I had his trainers in the boot of my car,' she laughs.
Accountability and Reflection
While some argue that Katie is just the UK's biggest publicity hound, the documentary presents her as a victim: of sexual abuse, of relationship trauma, and of an industry that has chewed her up and spat her out at the cost of her sanity. 'I've never had time to reflect, and it's about time I look at what I've really done – I know I've hurt people and I know I've made mistakes,' she admits.
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, produced by Louis Theroux's Bafta-winning Mindhouse and directed by Paddy Wivell, combines extraordinary unseen footage with first-time testimony. The four-part series is available on Sky and NOW from July 8.
