Amid all the chaos and drama of Katie Price’s rollercoaster life, there has been for almost two decades one constant – her son, Harvey.
In the past two years alone Katie has battled bankruptcy, suffered an assault in her own home and had a drink-drive car crash, triggered by other unspecified “horrific traumas”.
It all led to the former glamour model hitting rock bottom then going for treatment at the Priory last year.
At the same time as all this was going on, Harvey, now 19, was preparing to leave home for a specialist college. It was a lot to be dealing with, by anyone’s standards.
Mum-of-five Katie, 43, says the dawn car crash last September was her fault, but brought on by issues caused by other people. “I’m still dealing with the trauma of it, and nightmares,” she says on our Zoom call.
“What has happened to me in the past few months has been absolutely horrific, on three different occasions. That’s why I was hospitalised.”
Katie can’t elaborate on those “traumas” as they are police matters – but feels the public would treat her more kindly if they knew.
“When it does come out, people will be like, ‘F***, we shouldn’t have been so harsh on her because we didn’t realise this was going on’.”
She is now having regular professional help to stop her from ever going into “self-destruct” mode again.
But she says: “Instead of trying to cope on my own, I see a therapist every week who helps me deal with things.
“It’s about time, it’s taken me 43 years. And I’m a lot, lot, lot happier – no one’s dictating to me any more, no one’s trying to control me.”
The air of positivity comes with Harvey now in his second term.
Katie also has TV shows on the way, plus new books and her recent foray on to the OnlyFans website. She is determined to make her new start stick. “When you hit rock bottom and it’s not worth living... I will never, let myself be in that situation again,” she says.
“This is my year – 22 is my lucky number – and despite some people trying to destroy it, it’s not happening.
“I am on a mission, there’s no way anyone’s getting in the way of my success, my new lease of life.”
Next week, a BBC documentary will show Harvey making his big move to National Star in Cheltenham – three hours from their West Sussex home.
It is equipped to deal with his com-plex medical needs including autism, septo-optic dysplasia which has left him partially blind, and genetic condition Prader-Willi syndrome.
The extraordinary bond mother and son showed in their previous BBC film, as they tried to decide on a college for Harvey, is very much in evidence again as Katie worries about the “void” his absence will leave in her life. As she tickles, cuddles and praises him, finishing many of his sentences and vice versa, no one could deny Harvey’s mum is his world.
But just as he is getting settled and making new friends, the film takes an unexpected turn when Katie goes into the Priory.
Last month, she revealed she had developed suicidal feelings at the time. The thought of Harvey, 15-year-old Junior, 13-year-old Princess, Jett, seven and six-year-old Bunny pulled her back from the brink.
“I wanted to commit suicide. I planned it, I did everything,” Katie said. “But every time I went to do it I thought, ‘I can’t, I’ve got kids, sort yourself out’.” Instead, she got into her car while over the limit and disqualified.
In the film, Katie’s mother, Amy, who suffers from a terminal lung condition tearfully: asks her daughter: “Can you imagine if anything had happened in that accident? How do you think Harvey would have coped?”
While having treatment, Katie still saw her eldest child. “Just because you’re in the Priory, it doesn’t make you cut off from everything,” she says.
In college, meanwhile Harvey was having a whale of a time, making friends, baking and going swimming.
Having worried he wouldn’t like being surrounded by new people, Katie, who was told after his birth her son would never walk or talk, is “so proud” of the way he has settled in – and his skills with an iPad. “He’s amazing on that” she says. “I don’t know how he knows how to use everything on it – because I don’t.
“The way he draws on it, makes music on his keyboard, transfers it to his iPad, finds pictures and makes stories with music. He’s so clever.”
Katie has also learnt plenty from him. “He taught me patience – I’m not patient with other things but I am with Harvey. He’s made me grow up in some ways.” Laughing, she acknowledges: “I’m still crazy in other ways though.” Telling of her “unconditional love” Katie admits she can’t stop going to visit him.
“All he’s ever known is Mummy. Mummy’s here at weekends, cuddles, kisses, cakes, days out. So why should it change? I won’t let it.”
In truth, Katie, who recently had more cosmetic surgery, needs to see him as much as he needs to see her.
“It’s nice for me to go there, get away from everything,” she says. Katie shares her other four kids with Peter Andre and Kieran Hayler. But with Harvey, whose dad is ex-footballer Dwight Yorke, it’s just the two of them.
“No one can ever take that bond from us,” she says simply. “We’ll always have it, no matter what.”
- Katie Price: What Harvey Did Next, BBC1, Monday, March 7, 9pm.
