Princess Andre was left terrified during Celebrity Race Across the World when an unexpected stop brought back harrowing memories of being held at gunpoint as a child. The 19-year-old, who was 18 when the BBC series was filmed, is competing alongside her older brother Junior Andre as they travel from Borneo to Melbourne, Australia, with limited money and no phones.
During the second leg of the competition, a taxi journey through Borneo after dark took an emotional turn when their driver unexpectedly pulled over and hurried out of the vehicle. Although he was simply stopping for petrol, the sudden movements and unfamiliar surroundings transported Princess back to a violent incident in South Africa in 2018, when she and her family were victims of a car-jacking.
Flashback During Taxi Stop
Junior, 21, noticed his sister becoming increasingly distressed and reassured her that they were safe, explaining what the driver was doing. But Princess struggled to shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
'I don't know, I think it's the quick movements, getting out of the car, walking around in the dark, coz that's what happened to us in the hijack,' she explained. Junior recognised that his sister was experiencing what he described as 'post-traumatic stress'.
Recalling the 2018 Ordeal
In an emotional piece to camera filmed before the race began, Princess recalled the horrifying ordeal that had stayed with her since childhood. 'I was actually 10 at the time, Junior was 12 and we stopped off at a petrol station and two minutes later there was six guys on our car,' she said.
'They had a baseball bat and they just start hitting the windows trying to smash them open, and I remember my mum was sat there with a pillow like this [up in front of her at window] waiting for it to break.' The attackers allegedly threatened to shoot the family and demanded that Katie hand over her children.
'They were like "give me your kids, give me your kids or we'll shoot you". Me and Junior were in the back seat and we were bawling our eyes out,' Princess continued. 'Honestly, I actually did think I was going to die. I can literally still picture it all, like it happened yesterday.'
The horrifying attack saw Katie held at gunpoint and sexually assaulted while her children were nearby.
Emotional Aftermath
Although eight years have passed since the ordeal, Princess admitted that the taxi driver's innocent stop had brought those memories flooding back with frightening intensity. 'My immediate thought was, they're going to pull out weapons,' she told Junior once they were back on the road. 'I thought I was over it to be honest. Actually my heart was like… I almost couldn't breathe, I was really scared.'
Junior wrapped his arms around his younger sister and reassured her that she was safe. Later, Princess admitted she felt 'a bit silly' about her reaction, particularly as the driver had done nothing more alarming than stop at a shop and fill up with petrol. However, Junior was quick to remind her that there was nothing embarrassing about being frightened after experiencing something so traumatic.
He explained that it was 'normal' for certain situations to bring back painful memories, adding: 'It's actually, if anything, a bit sad that it made you feel that way.' Princess confessed that she had not experienced such an intense reaction in some time, largely because she had learned to avoid situations that might leave her feeling vulnerable. 'It's just that was the most traumatic thing I think I've ever experienced,' she said.
For Junior, the experience highlighted how differently the siblings had processed the same terrifying event. Speaking privately to the camera, he explained: 'I felt like it made me stronger as a person, I didn't want to run away from it, but for Princess, it affected her for years.' He also acknowledged that the lasting impact of the car-jacking had shaped his sister's independence.
'I've noticed, it stopped you doing things more independently,' he told her as they worked to earn extra money for the next stage of their journey. 'Doing this, doing the race, is a big step. It's a big thing.' While Celebrity Race Across the World is designed to push its famous contestants outside their comfort zones, for Princess, the challenge has clearly become about considerably more than reaching the next checkpoint. Celebrity Race Across the World continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
