Kathy Hiltonis opening up about the stress of raising her children in the spotlight.
During an appearance on the SiriusXM podcastLunch with BruceTuesday, Kathy discussed the difficulties of navigating daughtersParis HiltonandNicky Hilton Rothschild’searly fame, recalling how she became “worried” about Paris' well-being after she began partying as a teenager.
“I was actually worried about Paris for a good while. She was sneaking out and she’d go missing and I wouldn’t be able to find her,” theReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsstar, 62, said. “Let’s put it this way — it got very out of control and I was scared for her. And my husband was very scared for her. And, you know, those nightclubs go on all night.”
“It was very scary. I mean, let’s just put it this way — there was times I did not sleep. How about for two days not knowing where your daughter is, and once hearing blood-curdling screaming, and then the phone hangs up,” Kathy continued. “I mean, there’s a lot of stuff people don’t know. And I did get some flack. Well, trust me. I did what I had to do.”
Kathy said managing Paris' behavior was especially hard to do with paparazzi and the press following their every move.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty
“I mean, this is the way I lived. My husband [Rick Hilton] had to get up and work in the morning. So eventually he’d go to sleep,” she added. “But I was up waiting all night.”
Raising her daughters in New York was also something thatmade Kathy “very nervous,“she said.
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“We moved back there and this is not what I had in mind for my daughters at all. I really thought Paris would be a veterinarian. That’s what she loved,” Kathy said. “She went from being a tomboy, we moved to New York and I didn’t realize what would happen. And all of a sudden, I think with two girls, attractive with a very famous last name, people just started to, [journalists like] Graydon Carter, [would write] 12 pages [on them].”
She continued, “And you know, that was all done behind my back. So I was very angry.”
Paris, Kathy and Nicky Hilton.Stefanie Keenan/Getty
As a teen, Paris was enrolled in Provo Canyon School in Utah for 11 months in an attempt to help correct her behavior. She has since accused the institution of inflicting emotional, physical, and psychological abuse on her. She opened up about the toll her stay at the boarding school took on her in herYouTube Originals documentaryThis Is Paris, which premiered last year.
On Tuesday’s podcast, Kathy said she believed Paris' boarding school was a top-tier institution that would provide her daughter with “the best” treatment from psychologists and psychiatrists.
Kathy previously addressed her reasoning for sending her eldest daughter to the institution, telling PEOPLE that she thought she was doing what was necessary in order to keep her daughter “safe.”
Asked about whether she had any regrets, Kathy told PEOPLE, “I think every parent has certain things they would change if they could go back in time.”
“It was a difficult learning period for us to make decisions we thought would be best for her at the time,” she added. “I absolutely wish we knew then what we know now. I believe every good and bad experience in life has been necessary to get to where we are now. I am thankful to be where we are today and that this experience has only strengthened our relationship.”
Paris has since beenadvocating to shut down the Utah boarding schooland other institutions that allegedly abuse minors. Earlier this year, shetestified against Provo Canyon Schoolin support of a bill calling for Utah’s laws surrounding similar institutions to be reformed. Thebill passedin April.
“I’m grateful that the State Legislature of Utah has recognized the injustice and mistreatment happening at these facilities, and I’m so glad that this bill being signed into law will ensure more regulation of these centers and protection for children,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “We will continue pushing this issue to the federal level so that laws protecting teens and children are made in all 50 states.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
