Clad in grey loungewear complete with coordinating fluffy slippers, Katie Price is in high spirits when she arrives for Closer’s exclusive Christmas shoot at Holborn Studios. Unlike many celebs who would likely come flanked by an entourage, Katie, 46, has only brought along her boyfriend of almost a year, Married At First Sight star JJ Slater, 31, who happily sits back as she works the studio with ease.
Despite the two-and-half-hour journey from her home in East Sussex, Katie is both animated and polite, greeting everyone with a hug and smile before ordering a cup of tea and scrambled egg on toast. When she later moves upstairs to get her make-up done by her trusted MUA Steph, the conversation turns to the year gone by, where Katie allows herself to be uncharacteristically vulnerable.
The star – who is mum to Harvey, 22, with former partner Dwight Yorke, Junior, 19, and Princess, 17, with ex-husband Peter Andre, and Jett, 11, and Bunny, 10, with third husband Kieran Hayler – has rarely been out of the spotlight since finding fame as a Page 3 girl in the 90s, and 2024 has been no different. Not only did she find love again with JJ, but she underwent her sixth facelift, was declared bankrupt for the second time, and also moved out of her infamous Mucky Mansion – a decision she calls ‘the best thing she’s ever done’. Prior to that, she’d endured a tumultuous time with mental health struggles, and narrowly escaped with her life in 2021 after a shocking car accident while on drink and drugs.
Now, speaking with her trademark candour, Katie says, ‘2024 has been like weighing scales. But I chose to get rid of all toxicness around me, and it makes a massive difference.’
From home life and love, to surgery and body image, Katie lifts the lid on it all for Closer…
What have you learned about yourself this year?
How to deal with my ADHD – I’ve become very calm and more in control of myself. I only do what I want to do. I make decisions - not people making decisions for me.
How do you feel about the kids growing up? You must be very proud of them.
I absolutely love it, because we all have so much in common. Junior and Princess have grown up in the industry, so I don't have any worries about them at all. People know them from growing up on telly through me and Pete, but they have their own identities. If you look at their Instagrams, they’re not plastered with me and Pete all over them. They're switched-on, very well-mannered, polite kids.
How are things going with JJ?
Really well. He's like part of the furniture now - part of the family. And he’s on the family chat.
How did the relationship come about?
Everyone kept saying, “Watch MAFS.” I saw how nice [JJ] was - I thought he was really quiet but really genuine. I'd read in the paper that he got diabetes. I thought, wow, that's quite harsh, as diabetes is a life-changing thing to have. I messaged and said, “I hope you’re okay with your diabetes.” And then he said, “Oh, I’m really embarrassed.” I went, “Why?” Turns out he’d messaged me two years ago but I never saw it. It must have been deleted, so it was obviously meant to be.
What did the message say?
“You’re quite fit tbf [to be fair]”. He basically pulled me first!
How is your relationship with JJ different from previous relationships?
It was slowly done, not rushed. I didn't want a relationship. JJ wasn't looking for a girlfriend, because he had just been on MAFS, and I'd just come out of a relationship. I didn't want a boyfriend anymore, I was just done with relationships, to be honest. I was just mentally exhausted from them. With JJ, it happened slowly – I was enjoying it rather than jumping straight in. Normally I meet someone, and that's it, wham, bam, you're in a relationship. I've done a lot in therapy about relationships - toxic and narcissist relationships, gaslighting, mental abuse, physical abuse… that's all I've ever been used to. JJ’s just so calming and easy. Now I know what a healthy relationship is, and that's what makes a difference. I’d never had one.
Is he The One?
Who knows? It's not that I'm saying no, but I’ve realised there's no rush. But I'd like to think he's The One, and it's heading that way.
Would you like to walk down the aisle again?
I'd love to get married again! [JJ’s] very old fashioned, so he hasn't even put a ring on my finger yet. So, until that happens, you'll have to ask him if he wants to marry me!
How do you feel about having more children?
I've just done an IVF programme. I've got my twin dolls at home, which I'm not going into detail about. I did IVF, and that programme will be out next year. I won’t be watching, as I don’t want to be reminded of the past. The experience was horrific, and if I look back, I wasn’t in the right relationship. I think things happen for a reason, if I’m honest.
It's been quite a year for you surgery-wise, what’s driven your latest bouts?
I'm already going back. I've never had ears that stick out, but I saw a surgeon the other day… With my face[lift], where they sewed it at the back, my ears now stick out, so the surgeon is just going to put them back to normal.
Do you think there’ll be a day when you’ll say you’ve had enough surgery?
I think I need therapy when it comes to surgery. I wouldn’t say I’ve got body dysmorphia, but there's obviously an underlying something why I feel I need to get surgery, or why I look in the mirror and think, ‘I want to change this or change that.’ What you've got to remember, I’m four years away from being 50, so I'm entitled to [do] whatever I want to my face. I did my whole modelling career - apart from my boobs - naturally. I didn't have airbrushing, filters, anything. It's weird, because I'm a confident person, but I just feel if there's something I want to change, I'll change it. Because I do little and often, it seems I'm always under the knife. When it comes to surgery, I admit everything I do, I don't shy away from it, and I wouldn't. I make sure the most horrific pictures are seen. People need to know that it's not a walk in the park, it's surgery.
Any surgery regrets?
Lipo never worked because I was too lazy to go to the gym. I had a lip lift, which was a waste of time. I want my boobs smaller again. I prefer being smaller.
Where are you at in terms of body confidence?
If you look at old pictures, I've always been skinny. Even at school, I was so skinny I used to wear four pairs of leggings, and had to make my legs look fatter. I just like being small, and I'm used to being small. I think where there's a dramatic difference from me than last year… people have to remember, I did three [rounds of IVF] last year, so I was bigger. I'm not doing it now and I've sort of shrunk back. Because it looks like a big difference, people are making comments on my weight, but then I'm like, 'If you do look at old pictures of me, I've always been small.'
Are you excited about panto with Kerry Katona?
I can't wait. I just love being around her. We have such a laugh - she's the kind of friend, we might not see each other all the time, but we're always there for each other. We are ones everyone loves to hate and then love. We've gone through so much and we are always there for each other. I'm having Christmas Day with her and Harvey. She’s doing a theme around what he likes.
Are you going to set any New Year’s Resolutions?
Just doing what I want to do, and it's so refreshing. We've all got a past. We can all learn from our past, but I'm focusing forward on the positives. I'm a lot calmer, and more switched on. I can’t complain about my life. I never believed in perfect, but it seems perfect at the minute. I had a shit few years when I had a breakdown, was in The Priory, crashed the car, and all of that… I'd never wish my worst enemy to go through all what I went through mentally. It’s like looking back at a shadow of myself. I feel like I'm back to me.
What will we expect from The Pricey in 2025?
More singing! I’m going to be bringing out new stuff. I love doing my OnlyFans, too. They'll be no more of this bankruptcy. All of that's behind me, so I can just get on with my life.