PARIS Hilton has alleged she was “tortured” and “abused mentally, emotionally and physically” by staff at a school in the late 1990s. The heiress has made the shocking allegations in her new documentary This Is Paris, airing on September 14. Speaking to People magazine she has now opened up on what she claims were years […]
PARIS Hilton has alleged she was “tortured” and “abused mentally, emotionally and physically” by staff at a school in the late 1990s.
The heiress has made the shocking allegations in her new documentary This Is Paris, airing on September 14.
Speaking to People magazine she has now opened up on what she claims were years of violence, revealing how she was sent to Provo Canyon School in Utah by her parents when they realized they could no longer manage her behavior as a teenager.
But she says that her parents were unaware of the true scale of what happened there, as staff would reportedly rip up letters and end phone calls, telling students that “no one would believe them.”
“It was supposed to be a school, but [classes] were not the focus at all” she told the publication.
“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 claimed: “The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down.
“And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so we’d be too scared to disobey them.”
Paris alleged that they used solitary confinement for up to 20 hours a day as punishment, and students would tell staff about bad behavior by their peers.
“You couldn’t trust anyone,” she said, admitting she cried every day and battled panic attacks.
In a statement given to The Sun, the school said: “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.”
They said that the school is “today an intensive, psychiatric youth residential treatment center for youth between the ages of 8 and 18 that have special, and often complex, mental health and emotional needs. “
They added: “We offer innovative, evidence-based therapeutic interventions, academic instruction and life-skills training tailored to the needs of each of our students. Leadership and staff are highly committed to providing effective treatment, compassionate care and a nurturing environment for the students and families we serve.”
Paris, 39, grew up living in New York City’s famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel with her parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton, and younger siblings: Nicky, 36, Barron, 30, and Conrad, 26.
But she would sneak out to clubs as a teenager and any punishment by her parents – including taking away her phone or credit cards – had no effect.
In the end they chose to send her away to the school at the age of 17; she was there for 11 months leaving of her own free will at the age of 18.
“I buried my truth for so long,” she added, “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.”
She also claimed she never told her parents the truth of what happened at the school when she returned to New York because she felt “so ashamed.”
Now though, the reality star – who found worldwide fame in 2003 with her show The Simple Life – has said her parents will watch the movie, and that there are “no more secrets.”
The star will show a rare side of herself in the fil, with the latest trailer for her YouTube original documentary, This Is Paris, showing her get personal about the public perception of her.
She said: “I feel like the whole world thinks they know me. No one really knows who I am. … I don’t even know who I am sometimes. I didn’t used to be that way…
“Sorry, I’m so used to playing a character that it’s like hard for me, to like, be normal.”
Paris then says: “I just created this brand, and this persona and this character I’ve been stuck with ever since.”
