Katie Price relives Mzansi hijacking ordeal

Katie Price poses during the World Music Awards at Earl's Court in London, United Kingdom, Wednesday, 15 November 2006. The World Music Awards is an international awards show which honours recording artists based on their popularity and worldwide sales figures. Photo: Hubert Boesl (Photo by HUBERT BOESL / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP)

Katie Price poses during the World Music Awards at Earl's Court in London, United Kingdom, Wednesday, 15 November 2006. The World Music Awards is an international awards show which honours recording artists based on their popularity and worldwide sales figures. Photo: Hubert Boesl (Photo by HUBERT BOESL / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP)

Published Jul 15, 2024

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Katie Price "genuinely" thought she and her children would be killed during a terrifying car jacking ordeal.

The former glamour model was held at gunpoint and sexually assaulted in South Africa in 2018 while filming her reality show 'My Crazy Life' and while her memories of the incident are a "horrible blur", she recalled desperately trying to shield herself with a pillow to avoid being shot.

In an extract from her new memoir 'This Is Me' shared by MailOnline's Mail+, Katie - who was with her children Junior, now 19, and Princess, now 17, on the trip - wrote: "My memory is a bit fuzzy with it all, if I'm honest. It happened so quickly, but at the time it seemed like it went on for ever. It was surreal. I kept thinking, 'Is this happening? Is this actually happening? Am I dreaming?'

"I could make out two men, who I now know to be hijackers, trying to get into the other car, where the film crew were, while the rest of them were around our car. I tried to shout to the film crew to come help us. But no one did. No one could.

"It was terrifying — the kids were screaming and I kept saying to them, 'Don't worry, you're fine, you're fine. Everything will be OK.' But I was absolutely petrified. I genuinely thought we were all going to die.

"The next few minutes are all a horrible blur. They managed to get in my door. Their hands were all over me, and in me and down in my trousers. I just kept saying, 'Get off me, get off me! I've got nothing!' But they took everything, all the jewellery I had and my watch.

"I saw some of the men try to go to the back of the car. Princess's door wasn't shut and I knew I wouldn't let these men near my kids. I screamed bloody murder.

"Next thing I remember is trying to find the keys to start the car and then I had the keys, but my hands were shaking so much I couldn't get them in the ignition.

"And then it was too late. The hijackers saw what I was doing and quickly snatched the keys off me. I always take a pillow with me and I put it up to my head thinking they were going to shoot me. I was waiting for them to shoot me through the pillow."

Katie's old school friend, Neil Tawse, was on the trip with her and he was beaten so badly by the car jackers, he still has problems with his vision.

She recalled: "I can remember the look on Neil's face. He got out of the car and said to the men, 'Right, come on then. If you f***ing want it, have it!'

"And he started trying to beat them up. But there were so many of them.

"They started beating Neil. It was horrible. He managed to wrestle the keys back off them and get in the car but then they whacked him, I think with the butt of a gun. It was brutal and suddenly there was blood everywhere.

"Neil was knocked out and the screaming from the rest of us was deafening. The look of complete fear on my kids' faces is something I won't ever forget; when you see your children living a horror story and you can't stop it, it haunts you...

"[Neil] had stitches in his eye and to this day he can't see properly and has a scar. Neil put his life on the line for us and it's made our friendship stronger than ever."

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