Katie Price denies being ‘vengeful’ towards rape-accused ex-husband

Reality star Katie Price has denied being “angry and vengeful” towards ex-husband Kieran Hayler, who is on trial accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, a court heard.

The media personality has been giving evidence behind a screen during Hayler’s trial at Lewes Crown Court.

On Tuesday, Ms Price said she had not read any media reports of his trial because she had been “handcuffed to Suella Braverman all week” for a Channel 4 reality show.

Hayler, 39, is accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in West Sussex in 2016.

During her evidence to Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday, Ms Price was asked by Hayler’s lawyer Arlette Piercy if she “loved revenge or is it just TV?”.

Ms Price responded: “It’s TV, it’s what I say. It’s what drives me in my work.”

Ms Piercy told Ms Price: “You are angry and vengeful towards the defendant Kieran Hayler, you have evidenced a vendetta against him over a number of years.”

Ms Price responded: “That is not true.”

Asked if she had been following media reports of the trial, Ms Price replied: “No, because I’ve been handcuffed to Suella Braverman all week” – a reference to the Channel 4 television show Celebrity Handcuffed.

She added: “I haven’t followed any reports.”

In her evidence, Ms Price denied having “any venom” against Hayler.

When challenged by defence lawyer Ms Piercy on her view of her ex-husband, Ms Price said: “I don’t have any venom against Kieran, it was amicable when we split.”

On Monday, she told the court she was “really shocked” by the allegations.

Ms Price told jurors: “I was shocked… like really shocked. It was a different kettle of fish, it’s a child.”

She told the court she confronted her husband at the time, asking if he had “done stuff” with the teenage girl.

Asked by prosecutor Ryan Richter what his response was, Ms Price said: “I can’t remember his response but his response all the time was ‘no I hadn’t’.”

She said she did not speak to the girl about the allegations face-to-face, and was asked whether she asked her to report it to the police.

“I was going through it myself. I was having a breakdown at that point,” she said.

“I had to go in the Priory.”

Hayler denies the charges and suggests his ex-wife had “launched a campaign” against him when their marriage ended, and the allegations form part of this, the court has heard.

He was married to Ms Price at the time of the allegations, before the couple’s relationship broke down in 2018 and they divorced in 2021.

The alleged victim is not part of Hayler or Ms Price’s extended families.

The trial continues.