Paris Hilton is recounting the physical, mental, and emotional abuse she suffered while attending a Utah boarding school. The reality TV star was a rebellious teen and as a result was sent to several boarding schools, including the Provo Canyon School, where she claimed to have been bullied, hit, and strangled by teachers.
"It was supposed to be a school, but [classes] were not the focus at all. From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture," the 39-year-old told People of the 11 months she spent at the school.
"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."
Hilton said teachers would use solitary confinement as a form of punishment. The "Simple Life" star eventually decided to reach out to her parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton, but her attempts were futile.
"I didn't really get to speak to my family," Paris said, "maybe once every two or three months. We were cut off from the outside world. And when I tried to tell them once, I got in so much trouble I was scared to say it again. They would grab the phone or rip up letters I wrote telling me, 'No one is going to believe you.' And the staff would tell the parents that the kids were lying. So my parents had no idea what was going on."
Hilton left the school in 1999, when she turned 18, and moved back to New York where her family lived at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, but chose not to speak about the experience.
"I was so grateful to be out of there, I didn't even want to bring it up again," she explained. "It was just something I was ashamed of and I didn't want to speak of it."
It took over 20 years for Paris to break her silence in a forthcoming documentary, "This Is Paris," which details the abuse she endured.
"It feels like my nightmare is over," she said. "And I'm going to watch the movie with my parents — I think it will be good for us, but emotional too. There are no more secrets."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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