Katie Price has spoken about her reunion with ex-partner Gareth Gates, recounting the encounter 24 years ago when she took his virginity. Price, now 48, was 21 and six months pregnant with her son Harvey when the event occurred. Gates, who was 17 at the time, later denied their relationship but eventually conceded it was true, believing Price had leaked the story to the press.
Their reunion is featured in Price's Sky documentary, "Katie Price: Nothing to Hide." Discussing the documentary on Hits Radio's Breakfast Show, Price revealed that Gates's appearance was the most surprising. "Imagine you was with someone twenty five years ago and then suddenly they ghost you and you don’t really know why. And now I know why," she said, referring to Gates's belief that she had orchestrated the story's release.
"People in his head and he thought I’d set something up when I actually hadn’t," Price explained. "Then twenty five years later and he finds out it was nothing to do with me and you see his reaction. I think people think it was just like a one night stand with me and him when it wasn't."
Will Best, a host on the show, commented on Gates's reaction, noting his apparent relief. "It's like he's been wrong for all this time, you'd think people might be like, 'oh no damn it,' but he's relieved," Best observed. "He's going to reframe you in his mind, and it's a positive thing."
Price added humorously, "Put it this way, if I was his girlfriend watching what he said I wouldn’t be happy. Am I right or wrong? And he still looks fit I must say..."
At the documentary's launch, Price had previously shared her surprise that Gates would finally discuss their past. "Imagine meeting someone 25 years ago and then they sort of ghost you. You don't know why and then you go forward 25 years and then you get the answers," she stated.
In a separate appearance on the "Great Company" podcast, Gates addressed the topic. When asked if Price had taken his virginity, he responded, "No comment. I'll just say I was extremely inexperienced with a girl who was extremely experienced. I could see why she thought that." He expressed his disbelief that someone would sell intimate details to the press, stating, "I believe that relationships are between two people and I couldn't believe that somebody else was selling stories about very, very intimate details."
Gates also spoke about the impact of the situation on his trust in the industry. "I felt exactly the same at the time. And it was a shame because she's a really lovely girl. But I couldn't quite believe somebody would do that I guess," he said. "It became the main thing in every interview. Everybody just wanted to know about that and not about my brand new album which I'd worked tirelessly on." He added that the experience made him "extremely wary of people in the industry I guess."