She’s spent more than 20 years in the spotlight, rising to fame in the 1990s as a glamour model before becoming a reality TV favourite.
She is even better known for her extensive plastic surgery, including 11 boob jobs and three facelifts, her three turbulent marriages (and divorces), bankruptcy and recent claims of drug-taking.
But last week, Jordan – aka Katie Price – who is appearing in reality show SAS: Who Dares Wins, and who claimed she was single last week despite isolating in her new home with Dreamboys star Al Warrell, told Closer that her public persona is not all it seems and that she is “vulnerable”, adding, “because of everything I’ve been through… I put up a guard.”
Here, we reveal five lesser known facts about the mum of five...
She loves caring for others and trained to be a nurse
Before her Page 3 days, Jordan was training to become a nurse. While she didn’t complete her course, the 41 year old still yearns for a career in the medical profession, revealing in 2017, “I’m training to be a paramedic. It’s a five-year course and you can work and do it at the same time.”
Last week, she told Closer she wanted to volunteer for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic, but was unable to as she was caring for her son Harvey, 17, who is high-risk due to his medical conditions including autism and Prader-Willi syndrome, which causes constant hunger and obesity.
She is currently caring for Harvey alone, while her other children, Junior, 14, Princess, 12, Jett, six, and Bunny, five, stay with their dads [Peter Andre and Kieran Hayler] – adding, “If I could be a volunteer and help, I genuinely would. I take comfort by knowing I’m being a carer for Harvey, though.”
Oxford University branded her a shrewd success
While Jordan didn’t go to university – instead building her glamour modelling career from the age of 18 – she followed in the footsteps of icons such as Winston Churchill and the Dalai Lama when she addressed the Oxford Union and fielded their questions in 2011.
Declared bankrupt just last year, at the time of her speech she had amassed her own whopping £45-million fortune and spoke to students about business building.
The editor of Oxford University’s student newspaper defended her taking the stand at the elite establishment, saying, “Someone like Katie Price brings much welcome relief from the static world of essays and eloquence... There is no doubt she is a shrewd businesswoman who has very successfully made a brand out of herself.”
She’s never given up on her dream to help disadvantaged kids
Despite being a mum of five, Jordan has often spoken about her wish to adopt.
In 2008, while still married to Peter Andre, she had intentions to adopt a baby from Bulgaria. Following their split, it was claimed that she felt resolved to “do a Madonna” and adopt as a single mum.
In 2016, she revisited the possibility of adopting from Bulgaria with now ex-husband Kieran Hayler. Then, in 2019, a chance encounter with a woman who works for a Nigerian orphanage revived her interest in adoption.
She says, “I’ve always wanted to adopt a child. I don’t care if they have disabilities, or what age [they are], I feel like I can offer a place.”
Her bid to be an MP failed – but parliament listens to her
It’s not all showbiz parties for Jordan, she has a keen interest in politics – even running for MP in the 2001 general election as an Independent candidate for Stretford and Urmston. She lost to Labour’s Beverley Hughes, but her humorous manifesto still managed to win 713 votes. However, her time to make a real difference came with Harvey’s Law. In 2017, her petition to make online bullying a crime, as well as calling for the creation of an offenders register, received 220,000 signatures in just one week, and Parliament backed it.
Her action came after son Harvey fell victim to online trolling, even forcing England cricketer Ben Stokes to issue a grovelling apology to her for mocking him on Snapchat.
She explained that due to his size and disabilities, online trolls found her son to be an easy target, but vowed, “I’m his voice, I’m going to protect him.”
WATCH: ‘I was the queen of getting told off’: Paige and Finn expose their Love Island Secrets
READ MORE
Katie Price opens up about missing kids during lockdown as she praises 'great dads' Kieran and Peter
Rylan Clark-Neal: 'Katie Price has guided me throughout my career'
She’s a charity ambassador – and a friend of the Royals
She has an unusual fan in supermodel Naomi Campbell, who called on her help for her Fashion For Relief charity runway event held to raise money in the fight against Ebola.
Jordan joined forces with Naomi and the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, to strut the catwalk and raise awareness of the virus in 2015.
She has also spoken to the Queen about her charity work, after meeting her at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital in 2007 where Harvey was a patient, while Princess Anne invited her to Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea after they bonded over their shared love of horses.
Jordan’s a passionate supporter of the British Lung Foundation after her mum Amy was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease, and is a an ambassador for Jeans for Genes, the annual fundraising campaign for Genetic Disorders UK – a cause very close to her heart because of Harvey.