THE NOT SO SIMPLE LIFE of Paris Hilton
The hotel heiress opens up about her school trauma and abuse
While Paris Hilton has built an empire on her happy-golucky, ditzy blonde persona, the heiress made headlines last week when she opened up about her troubled youth, including her sinister experience at a boarding school.
“I buried my truth for so long. But I’m proud of the strong woman I’ve become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am,” says the 39-year-old ahead of the launch of her upcoming documentary, This Is Paris, which promises to pull back the facade on her very public life.
TOUGH TIME
For the first time, the actress has spoken out about the abuse she faced as a teenager at Provo Canyon School, a boarding school she attended in Utah. For 11 months, Paris’ parents Richard and Kathy Hilton sent the then-starlet to the school, which focused on behavioural and mental development.
According to Paris, it was just one of many boarding schools she attended during her “rebellious phase”, while her family, including her siblings Nicky, 36, Barron, 30 and
Conrad, 26, lived at New York’s decadent Waldorf Astoria hotel.
“I knew it was going to be worse than anywhere else. It was supposed to be a school, but [classes] were not the focus at all. From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture,” she confesses. “The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bullying me. I think it was their goal to break us down.”
Frighteningly, the successful DJ says the staff’s ongoing torture extended far beyond mind games, revealing she was physically harmed by her so-called teachers.
“They were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instil fear in the kids so we’d be too scared to disobey them,” she says of her almost year-long stint at the institute.
Three of her former classmates are also set to appear in the doco, making similar allegations, including claims of the use of restraints and being force-fed medication. The school, which still operates today, responded to the star’s accusations saying, “Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time”.
The explosive documentary is also set to reveal more about Paris’ fascinating life, including abruptly calling off her 2018 engagement to Chris Zylka, as w well as her rise to stardom a after appearing on the r reality TV series The Simple Life L in 2003. However, that was nearly a all taken away from her w when she was caught up in a sh shock revenge porn scandal, wh which saw her private sex tap tape with ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon Sa leaked onto the internet int without her consent. Yet Y with the support of her fam famous family and friends, Paris Par went on to become a bestselling be author and beauty bea mogul, who now boasts boa a perfume empire worth wort $4 billion.
‘The teachers were abusive, hitting and strangling us’
Like many of us out there, Rowena Wallace had big plans this year. The screen legend was thrilled to be joining the cast of The Secret Garden stage musical in Sydney and Melbourne, but sadly her grand return was derailed by the pandemic.
“I thought here it is, this was going to be my new chance, a new life for me,” she confesses to Woman’s Day. “But that's all changed now.”
CRIPPLING INFECTION
Sadly, this year has only become more complicated for the 73-year-old, who made a name for herself starring as the tough-as-nails Patricia “Pat the Rat” Hamilton on Seven's '80s soap opera Sons And Daughters.
Just a few months after the musical's sudden cancellation, Rowena was diagnosed with a crippling bone infection, which tragically led to her having a toe on her right foot amputated.
“The condition is osteomyelitis, and let me tell you, it's not very pleasant and there's no cure for it, so I've just had to remain very careful with myself,” she explains.
“It's treated with antibiotics, and it just tends to linger and travel throughout the body.
I will do almost anything, even if it means taking more toes off, to fight it. It's a very real possibility if it gets worse, but I'm in the middle of having a lot of tests and a lot of X-rays and things are happening,” she says, adding with a laugh, “I don't give up easily... I will keep going until I drop!”
It's the same laugh-cumcackle that Rowena has had for years, and despite living through depression, addiction, chronic pain and now the prospect of more amputations, in what she agrees has been one hell of a rollercoaster of a life, there's no dampening her spirit – not ever!
“This is just how life goes. I'm sure I'm not the only one suffering, many people are doing it tough,” she says, but quickly points out her limited pension means things aren't as “splendid” as they once were.
“I don't think it's easy for anybody on a pension. I have to pay rent, and lots of other odds and sods, electricity... I'm sure they're going to cut me off soon,” she adds.
But Rowena says it's gratitude that gets her through the dark times. “If you are aware at each moment about how lucky you are, who you are and what you've got, you can be on top,” she explains.
“You have to be joyful and happy for things – the other way doesn't work!”
Never one to shy away from a new project or opportunity, Rowena says she's excited to be in the final stages of writing her memoir, which will shed light on her celebrated career.
“I started it years ago, but I decided at the time that it wasn't quite right. But looking at it now, interestingly, at my age now, I think it's brilliant,” she says. “We're fixing bits and adding to it, and I'm very excited for it to come out.”
THE RETURN OF PAT?
While most people might think that starring as TV'S biggest b*tch for five years might have made Rowena a few enemies on set, she promises that nobody needs to be nervous about what she's got to say.
“If anybody is nervous about the book, that's their problem,” she laughs. “I don't do things to be unkind... [I'm] honest yes, but never unkind. What's the point?”
It's a far cry from her famous television character, who would never back down from a confrontation.
All these years later, Rowena insists she'll never get tired of being asked about Pat and would jump at the opportunity to bring her back.
“I wouldn't give it a second thought,” she says. “I'd be back on set for Sons And Daughters in a heartbeat, mobility scooter and all!”
‘I will do almost anything, even if it means taking more toes off’