Katie Price has admitted to “letting herself down” when she was arrested for drunk driving after hitting a dark spot in her mental health.
The reality star, 44, told MailOnline she has ‘learned’ from the mistake she made of driving under the influence after being given a suspended sentence for knocking over her uninsured BMW X5 on a country road.
Katie, who will present a documentary on Channel 4 about her struggles with trauma, PTSD and mental health, added that she has been attending weekly therapy sessions since the crash and that she “never wants to go to that place again”.
Test: Katie Price has admitted she ‘let herself down’ when arrested for drink-driving after hitting a dark spot in her mental health
In September 2021, Katie was arrested for drink-driving after throwing her BMW on its side on a country road near her home in West Sussex.
The star confessed to drunk driving, disqualified driving and driving without insurance to the court, and immediately checked into The Priory after the arrest.
She was given a 16-week suspended sentence and a two-year ban from the Crawley Magistrates’ Court.
Now, Katie has told MailOnline that her mental health was at an all-time low at the time of the crash, explaining: “I live in the countryside, I had no outlet, I had to talk to someone and that night I disappointed myself. ‘
Difficult time: The reality star, 44, told MailOnline she ‘learned’ from the mistake she made of driving under the influence after being given a suspended jail term
“I’m not justifying anything, there was a reason I got in the car and why my head was like this.
‘Unfortunately I ended up there. I would never go to that place again. It happened and it’s real, but I’ve learned.’
Katie then revealed that she is still in therapy months after the crash, adding: ‘I may be 44 now and have therapy every week, but I wish I had done this years ago. It would have held back many things I could have said or reacted to.
‘I have to accept’ [certain situations] and doesn’t bite back on anything.
Woes: Katie (pictured arriving at Crawley Magistrates Court in December) said, ‘Unfortunately I ended up there. I would never go to that place again’
“It’s hard for me to say because I don’t want to sound bitter and I’m not bitter. I now talk to my therapist about my situations.’
Katie will star in a harrowing documentary Trauma And Me, in which she discusses her struggles with mental health.
Prior to the show’s broadcast, Katie also revealed to MailOnline that she had been raped during a horrific carjacking in South Africa in 2018.
The media personality recalled the terrifying ordeal she was held at gunpoint while filming for her Quest Red reality show, My Crazy Life with ITV.
She described the traumatic events that led her to breaking point, a nervous breakdown in 2018, and a failed suicide attempt in which she “knocked herself out and got black eyes” – after which she set out in search of treatment for PTSD.
Prior to the Channel 4 programme, which was filmed in the wake of last year’s car accident, Katie spoke about her triggers and suffering leading up to the crash.
She said: ‘The experience when I was filming with ITV in South Africa, we had no security, if we had security they would have been able to deal with the six guys who jumped us, held me at gunpoint and raped me.’
Horrible: Prior to the show’s broadcast, Katie also revealed to MailOnline that she had been raped during a horrific carjacking in South Africa in 2018
During her journey from Johannesburg to Swaziland, Katie was thrown from the vehicle by the attackers in two passenger cars with the production crew.
The vehicles were searched with laptops, iPads, passports, cash and jewelry, but the robbers left behind a fortune in camera equipment that the crew had stored on board. The attackers were never apprehended.
Katie first discussed her harrowing experience on an episode of Channel 4’s SAS: Celebrity Who Dares Wins in 2020, where she said: ‘The police said it was a miracle they didn’t kill us.’
On her new Channel 4 show she candidly revealed: “I got severe depression a few years ago, depression on top of PTSD, I was suicidal, didn’t want to be here. I tried to commit suicide.
Aftermath: She recalled the terrifying ordeal of being held at gunpoint while filming for her Quest Red reality show, My Crazy Life
“I knocked myself out and had black eyes. I had bruises around my neck. I woke up. I didn’t want to be here.’
Katie’s stays at The Priory rehab were intended to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder, and she added that through therapy she has learned to deal with her past and recognize what triggers her.
Katie detailed: ‘I’ve opened my eyes about a lot. When you enter The Priory people assume it must be for booze or drugs.
“I’ve never been to The Priory for drink, drugs or addiction. I’ve been to the priory for trauma rehabilitation for PTSD.’
On screen: The vehicles were searched with laptops, iPads, passports, cash and jewelry – but the robbers left a fortune in camera gear the crew had stored on board – with the incident documented on the show (pictured)
She continued: “Because of what people believe, it affects me. There is a stigma that if you go into The Priory you are a wrong ‘un’ [one]but that is not true.
“I think people who go in there are brave because they face their demons and whatever their problems are to make a better person out of themselves.
“Mental health, no matter how big or how small I look, if it’s big for someone, it’s big for them. It’s just different. Everything can happen.’
Trial: Katie added that through therapy she has learned to deal with her past and recognize what triggers her
While coping with her PTSD and past trauma, Katie continued, “I feel like I need to protect myself. I don’t post anything on Instagram anymore. I no longer have to justify myself. I don’t owe anyone anything.
“I don’t go on Instagram anymore and say, ‘Well, this is wrong,’ it comes to my mind and then I count down, and by the time I get to zero I’m just like, ‘Oh forget it.’
“I feel better and that makes me feel stronger. I don’t have to correct or prove anything to anyone. I know the truth. I’ve grown up!’
In her latest documentary, Katie discusses what caused her mental health to deteriorate and the steps she is taking in her recovery.
“There’s a lot in the program, but there’s a lot that I didn’t put in, it’s only 45 minutes, but there’s enough to know I’ve suffered,” she said.
MailOnline has contacted representatives from ITV and Quest Red.
Katie Price: Trauma And Me airs September 8 at 9 p.m. on Channel 4.
Teach: The former glamor model, who is still in therapy, said: ‘I may be 44 now and have therapy every week, but I wish I had done this years ago’