14 DAY TRIAL // Katie Price knows that she’s made a lot of mistakes and that she shouldn’t have dragged her three children in the spotlight to boost interest in her own person. Still, she needs to draw the line when it comes to her disabled son Harvey, who can’t and should never be made fun of just because of who his mother is.
Just recently, comedian Frankie Boyle when on Channel 4 show Tramadol Nights and made a series of very offensive jokes about Harvey, who is partially blind, autistic and suffers from countless other disabilities.
Until just now, Katie has kept mum on the topic, though she says she’s been trying to get Boyle and Channel 4 to publicly apologize for the offense.
She’s breaking her silence now in an open letter for the Daily Mail, in which she goes into the details of Harvey’s condition and how he should be hailed as a role model and not mocked shamelessly.
Every day with Harvey is a struggle but she wouldn’t change it for the world, Katie writes in the very touching letter.
Harvey suffers from many things and has to be taken care of around the clock, but he’s also a blessing and a wonderful child, the glamour girl writes, choosing to focus on the positive and never on the downsides.
Because of all of this, she was deeply hurt when she heard Boyle’s jokes and, just as important, when she learned that many were defending the comedian.
Just because she is in the spotlight and can be made fun of freely, that doesn’t mean that anyone has any right to target Harvey, Katie says.
“It is not easy dealing with Harvey’s challenging behaviour. To me, however, he will always be my perfect boy. I would not swap him for an able-bodied child, or send him to live in residential care. My home will be his until the day I die and beyond – but looking after him is relentless,” Katie writes.
“We have good days and bad days, funny days and challenging days, but I do not focus on what Harvey cannot do. He is my son and I love him to bits, which is why I will fight like a tigress for him – and for millions of children like him – against bullies like Frankie Boyle and the broadcasters who air him,” Price writes of why she needed to speak up on the latest controversy.
“Boyle may think his humor is brave and ground-breaking. I think it’s pitiful, sickening and cruel. If he met my son, I think he’d feel remorse and shame for the remarks he made,” she says.
“Every day I learn about love, fortitude and patience from Harvey. He is my perfect boy. He is my inspiration,” Katie concludes.
To read Price’s letter in its entirety, please refer here.