Katie Price has admitted she has been 'blind in love' and has 'always needed a man' in a new Sky documentary that explores her tumultuous personal life and career. The 48-year-old, currently married to Lee Andrews, reflects on her four marriages and five engagements in the four-part series Katie Price: Nothing To Hide.
Childhood Trauma and Early Relationships
The documentary delves into how Price's childhood was affected by sexual abuse and her parents' divorce. She recalls being attacked by a paedophile at age seven in a park, saying: 'This boy and this girl walked past and they must have called the police. The police were talking – I don't know what they asked – but I remember they took my knickers.' She adds that the abuse changed her: 'There's a picture of abuse by men against me, taking advantage of me from a young age.'
Price's first serious romance was with semi-professional footballer Gary Bolingbroke. He recalls: 'At first everyone knew Katie as Gary Bolingbroke's girlfriend, but as things progressed, it went the other way. I wasn't Gary Bolingbroke, I was Jordan's fella.' The relationship ended when Price began seeing footballer Teddy Sheringham in 1996 without ending things with Gary first. 'I'd always fancied Teddy Sheringham so I thought f**k it,' she says.
High-Profile Romances and Heartbreak
Price then fell for pop star Dane Bowers from Another Level. She says: 'He might have been the tubby one, but looks aren't everything. He was quite arrogant but very attentive to me and when we kissed, it was amazing. I loved Dane. I did.' Bowers agrees: 'We were in love, 100%.' However, he hated her glamour career. 'I wasn't equipped to deal with it. I told her I didn't want her to do topless any more. That was the undoing of us.' After Price did a topless calendar in revenge for being excluded from his promotional tour, Bowers dumped her, leading Price to attempt suicide. 'Did I want to kill myself? No, but I thought by doing that he'd know how much I love him and I'd get him back. No, he still didn't want to know,' she says.
Price then dated Manchester United footballer Dwight Yorke, admitting it was revenge: 'It wasn't love at all. It was massive revenge on Dane.' When she became pregnant with son Harvey, Yorke left her.
Relationships with Gareth Gates and Peter Andre
In 2002, Price had a brief but intense romance with Pop Idol star Gareth Gates, then 17. He says: 'I certainly did love her. To be in love… I think I was too young. It was very quick, literally weeks, and she'd mentioned marriage and spending the rest of her life with me.' After their relationship was exposed, Gates denied it, and Price later gave a tabloid interview claiming their sex life cured his stammer – a detail she now regrets. 'That was a moment I wish I never did. I shouldn't have gone into detail about it, but I did,' she admits.
Price's most famous relationship was with Peter Andre, whom she met on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2004. They married in 2005 and had two children, Junior and Princess, before divorcing in 2009. 'Meeting Pete and being with Pete were the best times of my life without a doubt,' she says.
Reflections and Therapy
Price acknowledges her lifelong need for love: 'When I've been in love I've been blind. I've always needed a man. I've always been vulnerable and needy.' She has had therapy for her traumatic past and is now diagnosed with ADHD. 'I've learned to control those impulsive tendencies to a degree, but you can't change who I am. I'm one of a kind,' she says.
The documentary also addresses her recent weight loss, which she describes as being a 'stick insect'. Price says she has never been able to enjoy her appearance despite multiple cosmetic surgeries.
Katie Price: Nothing To Hide airs Wednesday 8 July at 9pm on Sky Documentaries and NOW.
