Behind all the glitz, Katie is a true hero

I WAS crying, and the opening credits hadn’t even rolled.

Before watching Katie Price: Harvey And Me, I thought I knew everything there was to know about her.

She’s been famous for 25 years. She’s a national institution, like fish and chips, or queuing, and even if you’re not particularly interested, it’s hard not to be aware of what she’s up to.

She’s exploited and monetised every area of her life; her body, marriages, pregnancies, divorces, drug issues, hobbies, traumas, health issues, break-ups, breakdowns and bankruptcy.

But it turns out the only thing she hasn’t shamelessly promoted is the best part of herself. Katie Price, carer.

Behind the showbiz glitz and razzmatazz, away from the highs and lows of her cartoonish, dramatic life, Katie has been quietly keeping calm and carrying on with an incredibly challenging situation.

As a single mum, she’s provided consistent, unfaltering love and care to her 18-year-old son Harvey, who has such a complex set of needs and combination of conditions there’s no other adult case in the UK like his.

The strength of the bond between the two is extremely moving, her devotion to him undeniable.

When Harvey is frightened, or overwhelmed, he reacts by lashing out, smashing things or hurting himself. The sound of his mother’s voice is the only thing that calms him down. Instantly.

Harvey has grown up in the public eye – when I was a rookie reporter on Heat magazine I gave him a bottle while Jordan did a photo-shoot in her underwear. She’s been asked many times to make a documentary about him, but was understandably protective.

Now, Harvey is entering adulthood, so despite having the cognitive understanding of a seven year old, he must leave both Great Ormond Street Hospital’s care, which has been a second home, and the school he has thrived at.

Katie wanted to shine a light on the delicate navigation, and struggle, to provide the right care and education for disabled teenagers. To show other parents facing the same difficulties that they are not alone.

She is at her most vulnerable and open as she discusses her impossible quandary. She knows it’s important for Harvey to have, as much as he can, an independent life. How can she keep him safe, but bear to let him go?

Katie is endlessly patient, accommodates Harvey without pandering, mollycoddling or smothering. As they tour colleges, she’s so in tune with him she can tell when he’s going to kick off before there are any outward signs. They finish each other’s sentences. She’s matter of fact, unflappable, constant.

To the fellow parents, college staff, the headteacher at Harvey’s school, it’s clear her celebrity status is irrelevant. When they speak to her with respect and admiration, it’s because they know what she has lived, day in, day out, for 18 years.

Whenever Katie’s starting a new business venture, be it tacky pony accessories or a no-holds-barred reality show, she always trots out her catchphrase, “Never underestimate The Pricey!”

This documentary shows we have, all along. She has shown us a whole new world, of Katie the carer. Role model.

Hero.

They speak to her with respect as they know what she has lived

MOTHER Katie Price with son Harvey, who has complex needs