The BBC has announced a new three-part documentary series, Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping, in which the former glamour model gives her first documentary interview since her abductors were convicted. The series, for BBC Three and iPlayer, aims to explore the 2017 kidnapping and its aftermath, including the intense media speculation that followed.
In July 2017, Ayling, then 20, was kidnapped in Milan after what she believed was a photoshoot. She was drugged, bundled into a bag, and taken to a remote farmhouse, where she was handcuffed to a chest of drawers and told she would be sold as a sex slave via a dark web auction. She convinced her captors to release her, and they were later convicted by an Italian court.
Despite the convictions, Ayling faced public doubt, with some questioning whether the kidnapping was a publicity stunt. The documentary will examine the media coverage and public reaction, asking how a survivor became a suspect. It features interviews with those involved, separating fact from perception.
Ayling said she is "delighted" the BBC is telling her story, adding: "I think people will finally see through the headlines." Executive producer Katharine Patrick said the series allows Ayling to "unpack the truth" and process the ordeal. The documentary airs on BBC Three and iPlayer, distributed internationally by BBC Studios.
