Katie Price Opens Up About Her ‘Major Breakdown’ and Struggles with Drugs
Katie Price has revealed the full extent of her struggles with drugs and mental health, shedding light on what led to her “major breakdown.” The former glamour model, now 46, made headlines in 2021 after crashing her car while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, according to the Mirror. This incident resulted in a two-year driving ban and a 16-week suspended jail sentence for drink-driving. Shortly after, Katie checked herself into The Priory Clinic to address her addiction issues.
Reflecting on that difficult period, Katie opened up about her mental health diagnosis and her battle with substance abuse. Speaking candidly, she shared: “I’ve been diagnosed with severe ADHD. I remember the doctor saying to me, because obviously he knew I’d done [cocaine]…I’m like, ‘I just go completely quiet and shut down.’ He said, ‘That’s a major sign of someone with ADHD’, told the Sun.
Katie made these revelations during an appearance on Westlife singer Nicky Byrne’s podcast, Nicky Byrne HQ. When asked about her past fame, Nicky remarked, “At one point you were the most famous person in Britain. How does it sit with you now?” Katie responded, “In our industry, if I don’t turn up for work nobody can replace me. You sort of just get on with it and you don’t deal with what’s happened.”
However, her struggles caught up with her. “It got to a point where I had a major breakdown,” she admitted. “I ended up in The Priory twice, five weeks at a time, and then I self-medicated on coke.” Despite the challenges, Katie emphasized, “I’ve been through so much and I’ve come out the other end.”
In her recent autobiography This Is Me, Katie described the night of her car crash. After consuming alcohol and a small amount of cocaine, Katie received a call from her eldest daughter, Princess, 17. “I could tell she was upset, so I asked her what was wrong,” Katie recalled. “My daughter was ringing to tell me she wasn’t allowed to see me, and my heart just broke.” Distraught and not thinking clearly, Katie decided to drive despite it being 2 a.m. and her impaired state. “I didn’t care about anything anymore,” she admitted.
Katie has a history of turning to substances during challenging times. She first visited The Priory in 2018 after using cocaine to “block things out.” She spent 28 days in the clinic, as documented in her series My Crazy Life, where she explained that her mind was “so numb” from everything happening around her.
Recently, Katie was seen behind the wheel again in Cyprus after regaining her driving license. She appeared calm and confident as she stepped out of her red car, signaling a new chapter in her life. Last month, she shared on social media that she was eagerly awaiting the return of her driver’s license, excited to be back on the road.