Kidnapped model Chloe Ayling says newly diagnosed health condition could explain why nobody believed her story
The 28-year-old made headlines back in 2017 when she attended a staged photoshoot in Milan, only to be injected with ketamine, stuffed into a suitcase and have her kidnapper demand a substantial ransom.
Ayling's manager received a series of photos of the model, then just 20, scantily clad and unconscious, with demands that €300,000 (the equivalent of around £260,000) was paid to ensure her safety. If demands were not met, Ayling was to be sold off into sex slavery.
While Ayling was freed after six days, the model, who has now spoken out in a new BBC documentary, admits it has not been easy rebuilding her life following the ordeal.
In Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping, Ayling explains that she is still plagued by the fact people don't believe her story.
However, she adds that a recent autism diagnosis may have helped explain why many – including law enforcers – initially approached Ayling's story with a dose of skepticism.
Reflecting on her childhood, Ayling says in the documentary: 'I had a lot of difficulties with communicating
'I'd react in the wrong way. If I was being told off I would smile. I just had the wrong reactions to things.
'My mum would come with me on school trips because I wouldn't be able to say what I wanted or express how I was feeling. For ages I just said I'm not an emotional person, but now I realise that no matter now hard I try, I just can't [express emotions].'
When Ayling initially returned home following the ordeal, she spoke out about the horror she experienced – but her flat, emotionless delivery saw people question the authenticity of events.
Others pointed towards the fact Ayling went shopping with her kidnapper, and speculated whether the kidnapping was an elaborate publicity stunt, or even whether Ayling had been in on the abduction all along.
However, these theories are entirely unfounded; Lukasz Herba, who claimed to be a trained assassin and part of the 'Black Death' gang was found guilty of kidnapping and initially sentenced to 16 years and nine months in prison – reduced to 11 years following an appeal.
Ayling, who received a diagnosis confirming she was on the autism spectrum disorder during the three-part documentary, does not hold a grudge against those who did not believe her.
'I can't really be mad at people for not understanding, when I didn't really understand it myself,' she says.
Since the ordeal, Ayling took part in 2018's Celebrity Big Brother, where she placed 11th.
She now shares son Ashton, with her former partner Conor Keyes, and shares content on social media and on her OnlyFans page.
Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping is available to view on BBC iPlayer
Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper's Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.
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