In a candid and revealing interview, Gareth Gates has launched a scathing attack on his former flame Katie Price, accusing the glamour model of constructing her entire public persona around the intimate details of her romantic life. The outburst comes at a particularly poignant moment, as Price celebrates her ninth engagement to entrepreneur Lee Andrews.
A Relationship Revisited Amid New Beginnings
The timing of Gates' comments is impossible to ignore, coinciding directly with Price's latest romantic milestone. Andrews, the CEO of Aura Group Future Urban Travel, publicly announced his engagement to Price on January 23rd, marking the beginning of yet another high-profile chapter in her personal life. This new development has seemingly reignited long-simmering tensions from Price's past.
"The Worst Thing": Gates Reflects on a Teenage Fling
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Gareth Gates opened up about his brief relationship with Katie Price, which occurred when he was just 17 years old and she was 25 and six months pregnant. He described the experience at the time as "the worst thing," revealing the profound personal impact it had on him as a teenager in the public eye.
"I don't seek publicity," Gates stated emphatically. "I would never talk about intimate details out of respect. Katie's made a career out of talking about relationships – that's her thing. I just roll my eyes and go, 'That's Katie.'" This stark contrast in their approaches to privacy and public discourse lies at the heart of their ongoing feud.
Denials, Admissions, and Lasting Regret
The history between Gates and Price is fraught with contradiction and public backtracking. Initially, Gates vehemently denied any romantic involvement with Price, a stance he maintained for over a decade before finally admitting the truth. He explained his earlier deception was a desperate attempt to shield his family from his teenage sex life.
"I denied the whole Jordan thing because I was 17," he confessed, referring to Price by her former modelling name. "I didn't want my family to find out. If I hadn't lied it wouldn't have been a big deal, my family, friends and fans wouldn't have felt as let down I guess." A source close to the singer has since revealed that the entire episode remains "his biggest regret."
An Acrimonious Public Exchange
The animosity between the two figures is deeply entrenched and frequently plays out in the media. Price has offered a very different perspective on their past, notably in her 2021 book, 'Harvey and Me'. In it, she provocatively suggested that their relationship was the catalyst for Gates' career, writing: "He denied losing his virginity to me at first, but once he finally admitted it, wasn't that when his career started?"
The feud escalated dramatically in September when Price, during a tour stop in Gates' hometown of Bradford with friend Kerry Katona, responded to hecklers by yelling, "F*** Gareth Gates". A source told The Sun that Gates was left "furious" by the very public slight, though reportedly not surprised. "He knows there is a risk that Katie will bring him up every time she goes on stage, and it's always horrible. It never gets any easier," the source revealed.
The Core of the Conflict: Privacy vs. Publicity
At its core, this long-running dispute highlights a fundamental clash of values within the celebrity world. Gates positions himself as a private individual who views intimate relationships as off-limits for public consumption. In stark contrast, Price has built a formidable media empire by offering unfiltered access to her personal life, with her romantic history being a central pillar of her brand.
The source close to Gates summarised his frustration, alleging that he feels Price is persistently "using his name" to generate headlines and maintain her relevance, long after he has attempted to move on with his life. As Katie Price embarks on her ninth engagement, the echoes of her past relationships, and the conflicts they inspire, continue to resonate loudly in the public sphere.
