Paris Hilton reveals stalker ordeal

Agencies

Paris Hilton

AGENCIES

Crazed Nathan Lee Parada tried to force his way into Paris's Los Angeles mansion.

LONDON: Oozing glamour in her designer bikini, Paris Hilton is the poster girl for having it all – but fame has come at a terrible price, reported British daily The Sun on Wednesday.

The hotel heiress, who has long

been a magnet for stalkers and burglars, has revealed she feared she would DIE at the hands of a knife-wielding maniac.

Bravely she relived that terror while playing herself in a similar situation in crime film The Bling Ring, which premieres at Cannes this month.

But the incident, in August 2010, also prompted a complete change of lifestyle.

Once a party animal and reality TV airhead, New Yorker Paris now plans to step out of the spotlight and build her own hotel empire.

Opening up about her shocking ordeal for the first time, Paris, 32, recalls: “It was terrifying. I had never experienced anything like that before and it really shook the foundations of my world.

“It was about 5am when I heard someone banging on my window.

“I went downstairs and saw a crazy guy outside with two huge kitchen knives in his hands.

“He looked like he wanted to kill me and he kept banging on the windows, demanding to be let in.

“I screamed. I was certain he was going to get through the windows or the door and then that would be it.

“I was certain he would kill me if he could get inside.”

Crazed Nathan Lee Parada tried to force his way into Paris’s Los Angeles mansion.

It was only the quick thinking of her then-boyfriend, US businessman Cy Waits, that saved her life.

Paris, who reveals the attack made her scared to leave her home for nearly two years, adds: “Luckily, my boyfriend heard the noise and came tearing down the stairs.

“He got his gun, went outside and put it to the man’s head. Cy forced him to the ground and held him there until the police arrived.

“If he had not acted so swiftly, I don’t think anyone would have got there in time to save me.

“Seeing someone with such hate in their eyes — someone who wants to kill you — makes you question things, and it made me wonder about the price of fame.

“There was so much chaos in my life at the time. After the attack I decided it was time to withdraw from the public eye before anything worse happened.”

So it took a lot of courage for Paris to make The Bling Ring.

She has a cameo as herself in the movie, which also stars Emma Watson, about Hollywood homes being targeted by gangs of thieves.

Paris says: “When I saw the crimes recreated for the screen, it gave me the strength to talk about my ordeal. Many people have their houses burgled and it’s a traumatic experience. You feel so violated.

“I wanted to help the filmmakers get across just how serious this crime is and how frightening and hurtful it is for the victims.

“I lost so many valuable items passed down from generation to generation, things I cherished.

“These are the things that matter most, they are sentimental and can’t be replaced.

“With the burglaries and multiple stalkers it was a scary few years for me and no one should have to go through that. You don’t expect to be attacked in your own home.

“It’s a special place where you should feel safe and secure. A lot of people see the glamorous side of being in the entertainment business, but I think it’s important to be aware that it’s not all pretty.

“Your life is public, and that I understand, but being attacked by stalkers, that’s not right — that’s going too far.”

Parada, 36, was sentenced to two years for the burglary in April 2011. Then outside the LA court where the case was being heard, a SECOND stalker pounced on Paris.

James Rainford, 38, who asked her to marry him, accosted her then punched boyfriend Cy in the head before being wrestled to the ground.

He too had tried to force his way into Paris’s house and was later jailed for 227 days after being spotted outside her Malibu beach home. She says: “I was scared to leave my house. I was paranoid someone was following me all the time. It was strange that someone could do that — cause so much fear — but the two attacks had a profound effect on me. I started to think I was going to be killed.

“It got to the point where I was not able to do everyday things.

“I put the most advanced security system in my house and hired a full-time security team.

“I stopped going to clubs and parties and I started focusing on my business interests instead.”

Despite his heroics, Paris also parted company with Cy a couple of months after the second attack because of his alleged jealousy.

Now she wants to shake off her notorious reputation. She once partied with Lindsay Lohan, spent 22 days in jail for driving offences, and a sex tape of her romping with a lover hit the internet. Instead, she plans to found a hotel chain, following in the footsteps of her grandfather Barron Hilton and great grandfather Conrad.

Paris says: “I’ve always been driven to accomplish something with my life for myself and not just take handouts from my family.

“It would have been easy to sit back and live off my family, but I wanted to be independent and make my family proud.

“Now I’m moving into the hotel business and it feels the natural next step. I’ve always been inspired by my grandfather and how he grew this huge empire from nothing. It’s something I look up to.”

Even though her family is worth billions, Paris insists she has carved out her £1billion empire off her own back. She has endorsed watches, handbags and footwear and is about to launch her 16th perfume. She has invested in properties and businesses and opened 44 Paris Hilton-themed stores and clubs.

Now the woman who once boasted on her US reality show The Simple Life that she did not know how to write a cheque is out to prove she is no airhead.

She says: “People have never got to know the real Paris Hilton.

“They remember me for falling out of nightclubs and messing around on a reality show. But that was just a character I was playing. You should see me in a business meeting.

“I have changed a great deal in the past few years. I’m not some ditzy blonde who can get pushed around. I’m a tough businesswoman.”

She has also found love again with 21-year-old Spanish model River Viiperi — and she has even patched things up with her old friend Kim Kardashian.

Kim started out as Paris’s glamorous sidekick, before landing her own reality TV series and rapper Kanye West as a boyfriend, with whom she is now having a baby.

“Yes, we are friends,” Paris says. “I’ve known Kim since we were little girls and with friends like that you remain good friends.

“I’m so happy for her with Kanye. Kim has always talked about love and finding the man of her dreams and having babies. So I’m happy that all her dreams are coming true.

“I think she’ll make a great mum and it will be a beautiful baby.”

Paris adds: “Reality TV does not interest me any longer. I’m growing my empire around the world. I’ve been through very difficult times but now I have perspective. I can look back on things, both the good and the bad, and know that those experiences made me stronger. And I’m grateful for that.

“I’m in the best relationship I have ever been in. River and I have been together for almost a year now and I’ve never been happier.

“He has such a big heart and he is so kind and loyal. He treats me like a princess and is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. We live together, so we are serious.

“I would love to have a family one day. I think the meaning of life is to get married and have children.

“I know eventually it will happen, but right now I’m so busy with my business commitments that I would not have the time.

“But when I do, I would love to have a few children of my own.”