Katie Price revealed she was raped during a horrific carjacking in South Africa in 2018, while speaking ahead of her poignant documentary Trauma And Me.
In an interview with MailOnline, the media personality, 44, recalled the terrifying ordeal of being 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 reach the breaking point and set out in search of treatment for PTSD, in a candid discussion about mental illness.
Horrible: Katie Price revealed she was raped during a horrific carjacking in South Africa in 2018, as she spoke ahead of her poignant documentary Trauma And Me
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.’
During her journey from Johannesburg to Swaziland, Katie was thrown from the vehicle by the attackers in two passenger cars with the production crew.
Aftermath: Speaking in an interview with MailOnline, the media personality, 44, recalled the terrifying ordeal of being held at gunpoint while filming for her Quest Red reality show, My Crazy Life with ITV
Forward: She described the traumatic events that led her to reach breaking point and seek treatment for PTSD, in a candid discussion about mental illness
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)
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.
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.’
Her stay in The Priory rehab was to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder, and she also 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 have never been to The Priory for drink, drugs or addiction. I’ve been to the priory for trauma rehabilitation for PTSD.’
Accident: Speaking about the dark place she experienced with her sanity at the time of last year’s horrific drink-driving crash, Katie explained: ‘I let myself down’
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 themselves a better person.
“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.’
Speaking about the dark place she experienced with her mental health at the time of last year’s horrific drink-driving accident, Katie explained: “I live in the countryside, I had no outlet, I had to talk to someone and that night I let myself down.’
She added: ‘I think people who go in there are brave because they face their demons and whatever their problems are to make a better person of themselves’
“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.’
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. 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.
“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.’
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’
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 occurs to me 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.
Future: In her latest documentary, Katie discusses what caused her mental health to deteriorate and the steps she is taking in her recovery