She headed to court AGAIN last week – this time for breaching her restraining order that forbids her from contacting ex-husband Kieran Hayler’s fiancée.
And it could prove to be Katie Price’s most serious offence to date, as she was warned by a judge that she could well face time behind bars.
Having previously denied the charge at magistrates’ court, Katie did a U-turn and admitted sending an abusive text to Kieran about his partner Michelle Penticost – in which she apparently described her as a “gutter s--g” and “cu----g w----”.
The former glamour model, 44, had been banned from contacting mother of one Michelle directly or indirectly, under the terms of a five-year restraining order made in June 2019. At the time, Katie was also fined £415 for a foul-mouthed “tirade of abuse” at Michelle during a row in a school playground.
Breaching a protection order carries a maximum prison term of five years and – ahead of her sentencing on 24 June – Judge Stephen Mooney warned, “Clearly you have accepted responsibility for this offence and that you indirectly tried to communicate Ms Penticost despite her restraining order against you. I must warn you, Ms Price, that you are at risk of going to prison.”
Now insiders tell Closer that Katie is in bits about the prospect of time behind bars.
A source says, “While Katie is still somewhat in denial, for the first time she’s now realised that jail time is a real possibility. She puts on a brave front when she’s with the kids, but inside she’s absolutely beside herself. It’s her biggest fear. She knows this time that she’s probably going to have to face up to what she’s done.
“Her kids are terrified at the idea of her heading to prison – but Kate’s been consoling them and telling them it’ll all be OK, even though she doesn’t feel that way.”
Katie’s faced plenty of legal drama over the last 12 months – narrowly avoiding prison in December after a major car crash, flipping her car on its side in a country lane. She tested positive for cocaine and alcohol at the scene, and was charged with drink-driving, receiving a 16-week suspended sentence for 12 months, 100 hours of unpaid work, 20 sessions of rehabilitation work with probation, and a two-year driving ban.
At the time, a judge warned she “deserved to spend Christmas behind bars,” as when she got behind the wheel “intoxicated with drink and drugs, you showed no concern at all for the lives of others”.
While she has on-off fiancé Carl Woods, 32, to support her through the drama – reuniting with him last month after briefly splitting earlier this year – she’s also relying on the fathers of her children, who are spending more time with the kids they share with their ex.
Katie is mum to Junior, 16, and Princess, 14, from her four-year marriage to singer Peter Andre, 49, who she wed in 2005; and shares Jett, eight, and Bunny, seven, with Kieran, who she was married to for eight years until last year. She is also mum to 20-year-old Harvey from her relationship with Dwight Yorke, but her disabled son attends a residential college in Cheltenham and has no contact with his father.
Katie described her “relief” at getting Harvey – who suffers from ADHD, autism, genetic condition Prader-Willi Syndrome and septo-optic dysplasia, which causes blindness – into the school, in case “something dramatic” happened in her life.
But Katie’s actions are having repercussions on her family, as our source adds that Pete – now married to Emily MacDonagh – and Kieran, who welcomed son Apollo with Michelle last year, are also in turmoil over how to prepare their kids for the possibility of their mum going to jail.
The source says, “Pete and Kieran are both emotionally exhausted by Katie and her actions. They’re both fully aware she has a real chance of going to prison, and they’re both very anxious about how to go about addressing it with the kids. Kieran’s even thinking of seeking advice from professionals, as he wants Jett and Bunny to remain as unaffected as possible.
“Despite all that Katie’s done and the turmoil she’s brought into his life with Michelle, Kieran has said that if Katie is to go to jail and take accountability, he’ll support her moving forward. Both Pete and Kieran hope it’s the beginning of real change and is a wake-up call for her.”