KATIE PRICE DENIES VENDETTA AGAINST EX-HUSBAND AT RAPE TRIAL

Katie Price gave evidence at Lewes Crown Court in the trial of her former husband Kieran Hayler, who denies three counts of rape and one of sexual assault against a girl who was 13 at the time, in West Sussex in 2016. Cross-examined by defence barrister Arlette Piercy, Price denied harbouring "any venom" towards Hayler, saying their split was amicable. She rejected the suggestion that she was "angry and vengeful" and had pursued a "vendetta" against him over several years. Asked whether she "loved revenge" or whether it was "just TV", Price said it was "TV" and "what drives me in my work".

Jurors have seen messages Price sent to the girl, then 14, in which she said she had heard Hayler and the girl had kissed and that he had "tried it on" with her. The girl replied that it was "just a flirt thing" and that "nothing happened". Price asked the girl "did he kiss you?" and told her she would "make you a little star", a phrase she told the court was "a figure of speech" with no "agenda" behind it. The court previously heard that Hayler has suggested Price "launched a campaign" against him after their marriage ended, and that the allegations form part of that campaign. Hayler was married to Price at the time of the alleged offences; the couple's relationship broke down in 2018 and they divorced in 2021.

The court previously heard that the alleged victim first contacted the NSPCC in 2021 about the allegations, leading to a referral to police and the opening of an investigation. The alleged victim is not part of either Hayler or Price's extended families, the court heard. Hayler denies all four charges against him. The trial at Lewes Crown Court continues.