Paris Hilton created 'Barbie doll fantasy' TV character as 'trauma response'

16 March 2023 , 23:29

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Paris Hilton created 'Barbie doll fantasy' TV character as 'trauma response'

Paris Hilton says her on-screen persona was a "trauma response" and a way to deal with the pressures in her life.

The socialite and TV personality, 42, was catapulted to fame in the early noughties in show The Simple Life, where she and pal Nicole Richie swapped their lavish lifestyles for humble homes.

However, the person she was while the cameras rolled and on the red carpet was a "mask", the star said as she appeared on The One Show.

Paris spoke to Rylan Clark and Jermaine Jenas this evening about her book, Paris Hilton: The Memoir, where she recalls the terribly dark times in her teenage years.

Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton on The Simple Life (Splash)

The new mum has spoken of how she was drugged and raped aged 15, groomed by a teacher, and sexually abused while attending boarding school in Utah.

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As an heiress and model Paris was already known in the NYC social scene, then scooping The Simple Life in her early twenties, which ran for four years.

The One Show host Jermaine asked the entrepreneur this evening whether she had "two characters", and if she found "herself trapped between two version of Paris Hilton, the real Paris Hilton and the characters she’s created?"

Paris on The One Show sofa (BBC)

The TV star replied: “I think that what I went through it was a trauma response where I created this character, this Barbie doll fantasy life so I didn’t have to think about what I went through, and then I got The Simple Life, and then I had to continue playing that character season after season and then almost got stuck in it because I got so used to doing it.

She went on: "It was sort of a mask to deal with all of the pressures.”

Paris also touched on the media frenzy around herself and Nicole.

She told Rylan and Jermaine: "It was really difficult, the way they are so vicious and cruel with us, and like you said, we were just young girls living our life except we were living under a magnifying glass with the media constantly stalking us,

"Making up stories, it was just very difficult to deal with. You definitely need a tough skin in that town.”

In the same interview, Paris revealed why she has so many phones, after Rylan asked: "I need to bring up this five phone Paris Hilton thing. What is this all about... Five phones may I ask?"

Paris Hilton says she wore a "mask" to deal with pressures

Paris laughed before answering: "I have one phone for friends, one phone for Europe, one for business...

"One because I'm shy when people ask for my number and I don't want to give it I'll give that one... and one for prank calls."

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Rylan then questioned her about prank calls and why she loves them so much.

She said: "My mom loves to prank call and she always has she's a teenager and now she's gotten my sister into it as well."

Katherine Heslop