Katie Price Opens Up About Sexual Assault in Front of Her Children

by Pooja Chauhan · 15/07/2024

Katie Price reveals the traumatic impact of a 2018 car hijacking and sexual assault in front of her children in her latest autobiography. The star shares her journey through PTSD and resilience.

Bollywood Fever: Katie Price has shared a deeply personal and traumatic account of being sexually assaulted in front of her young children during a terrifying car hijacking in South Africa in 2018. The 46-year-old reality TV star recounts the harrowing experience in her latest autobiography, highlighting the lasting impact it has had on her mental health and her family’s wellbeing.

The mother-of-five describes the horrifying moment she prepared to be shot in the face and her pain knowing that two of her children, Junior and Princess Andre, witnessed the assault. The attack occurred while Price was filming her ITV reality show, “My Crazy Life,” accompanied by her children and a film crew.

Katie reveals in her memoir that this incident was one of three sexual assaults she has endured in her life. She begins by detailing the hijacking in South Africa, where she and her children were traveling with her friend Neil Tawse and the show’s director. The group stopped on a deserted road after a safari when Junior needed to use the bathroom. It was then that six men emerged from a car, leading to the terrifying assault.

Katie Price Opens Up About Sexual Assault in Front of Her Children — Getty

“My memory is a bit fuzzy with it all, if I’m honest. It happened so quickly, but at the time it seemed like it went on forever,” Katie recalls. “Their hands were all over me, and in me and down in my trousers. I just kept saying, ‘Get off me, get off me! I’ve got nothing!’ But they took everything, all the jewelry I had and my watch.”

Katie describes the horrifying scene where her friend Neil tried to protect them, leading to a brutal altercation that left him injured. “Neil put his life on the line for us and it’s made our friendship stronger than ever,” she writes. Despite the danger, Katie and her children eventually managed to escape with the help of a passing family who called the police.

The traumatic experience left a profound impact on Katie and her children. She admits that the fear and helplessness she felt during the attack have haunted her ever since. “The look of complete fear on my kids’ faces is something I won’t ever forget; when you see your children living a horror story and you can’t stop it, it haunts you,” Katie pens.

Following the hijacking, Katie continued filming the reality show, a decision she now questions. “Why did I continue filming after the hijack and sexual assault? Why? Because I thought I would lose my contract and I needed to work,” she explains. However, the suppression of her trauma eventually led to a suicide attempt and a diagnosis of PTSD.

Six years on from the incident, Katie still finds it difficult to discuss the attack. She reflects on the strength of a mother’s love and her determination to protect her children, even at the risk of her own life. “I was ready to give my life for my children as I sat in the car in front of them with a cushion over my face, preparing myself to hear the shot from the gun before the bullet entered my body. That never came. I got a second chance at life and I’m not going to waste it,” she concludes.

Katie Price’s courage in sharing her story sheds light on the enduring effects of trauma and the resilience required to overcome such devastating experiences. Her account serves as a reminder of the importance of mental health support and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her children.