She’s no stranger to surgery, and has no doubt left friends and family worried when going under the knife herself. But now insiders say Katie Price has had to endure the pain of having a loved one in hospital, with the star in a panic over her stepfather Paul’s recent life-threatening surgery.
Katie shared on her podcast last week, ‘My dad’s just had a major heart operation… you’ve got to look after them when they get old. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes.’
And an insider tells Closer, ‘Paul’s had life-threatening heart surgery and the recovery is really intense. Naturally, Katie has been worried sick. The operation went well but the recovery journey is long and she’s been praying that he’ll be OK,’ sources revealed.
Katie, 46, is incredibly close to her stepfather Paul, 61, and once lovingly describing him as the ‘father figure I’ve had through thick and thin’.
She was brought up by Paul – who walked her down the aisle at her weddings – and mum Amy, 72, after her biological dad Ray walked out when she was just four.
Her mum Amy has also had health struggles, having been diagnosed in 2017 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal lung disease, and she also recently had a stint in hospital. Speaking about her mum’s illness on her podcast last year, Katie shared, ‘To be told she’s got an incurable breathing disease breaks my heart. Sadly, she hasn’t got long left to live.’
Now with her dad also unwell, Katie has made the decision to move her parents in to her home, so she can help with his recovery. The source tells Closer, ‘She’s offered to nurse Paul back to health to take the strain off her mum, who isn’t strong enough to offer full-time care herself and has also been recovering from falling ill recently. Private nursing isn’t an option, as it costs thousands, and her sister Sophie is going to have her hands full with baby number two due very soon, so Katie has stepped in.’
Katie also has plans to brush up on her paramedic skills that she has learnt over the years as the primary carer for her son Harvey, 22, who has Prader-Willi syndrome, partial blindness and learning difficulties.
The news of her stepdad’s ill health comes amid Katie’s latest announcement that she’ll be returning to reality TV. The star, who was declared bankrupt for a second time in May, made millions over the years through her various TV shows including Mucky Mansion, as well as Katie & Peter with her ex-husband Peter Andre, 51.
Closer recently reported that Katie’s TV return was incoming, with an IVF documentary in the works. The show is set to cover her fertility struggles with ex Carl Woods, 35, as well as with current boyfriend JJ Slater, 31.
And just last week, Katie – who will be starring in a pantomime with close pal Kerry Katona this winter – revealed she will also be taking her TV comeback into her own hands with the launch of a reality-style YouTube series. She told excited fans, ‘I’ll be talking about the real reasons behind the bankruptcy, my mucky mansion, my surgery, and my life in general.’
Now, the source reveals that Katie’s upcoming project will be a welcome distraction from her myriad worries.
‘Katie has big career plans bubbling away, and that’s been a great distraction for her,’ they say. ‘She aims to be back on top by this time next year. She’s relaunching her YouTube channel and vows it will pay off her debts in just a few months. Katie found success on YouTube four years ago and was raking in £35k a month, so she’s back in the driving seat and is making it her number one priority.’
Revealing that Katie – who’s also mum to Junior, 19 and Princess, 17, with ex, Pete, and Jett, 10, and Bunny, nine, with former husband Kieran Hayler – will be spilling it all on screen, the source adds, ‘There’ll be exclusive footage and chats addressing everything in her life – including her IVF, her stepdad’s heart surgery, wedding plans, her surgeries, and mental health. She’ll be directing and producing it all herself – she’s already said she knows everything there is to know about making a TV show! Katie has her sights set on taking her 355k followers to three million in the next few months.’
And, as Katie has constantly told fans to ‘never underestimate the Pricey’, the source adds that she is getting every aspect of her brand back on track. They share, ‘Her singing career is getting a boost – she’s heading back into the studio again. She’s even toying with the idea of releasing a Christmas single with Kerry off the back of the panto.’