The Kidnapping That Changed Everything
Standing outside the front door of her family home in Croydon, Chloe Ayling prepared to read a statement. At the time, she was 20 years old and had just survived being held hostage for six days in Italy, terrified she might never see her family again. “I feared for my life, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour,” she told the press pack that gathered outside her doorstep.
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What Chloe didn’t expect was that the way she dressed or spoke would be scrutinized by the public. She was simply relieved to be alive and back home. However, it turned out that her composed demeanor—smiling despite the trauma—was enough for some people to believe her ordeal was a hoax. This led to a new battle: convincing others that she wasn’t lying.
“I can’t believe I’m still talking about this eight years later,” she says candidly.
The Kidnapping
In the summer of 2017, Chloe thought she had been hired for a photo shoot in Milan. But instead, she was injected with ketamine by two men in balaclavas and taken 120 miles in a car boot to a remote farmhouse. Her captor, Lukasz Herba, who she knew as MD, claimed he was working for an international crime gang called Black Death. The plan was to sell her at a sex slave auction unless her manager, Phil Green, paid a €300,000 ransom—which he couldn’t afford.
Chloe was kept handcuffed to a set of drawers and slept on the floor for most of her six days in captivity. “I accepted that I was going to die because there was nothing I could do,” she recalls. She didn’t cry or scream, and the days felt endless. “I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells, not wanting to say the wrong thing.”
A glimmer of hope came when she noticed how Lukasz looked at her. Thinking quickly, she told him that if she were freed, they could be together. He started treating her differently and even invited her to sleep in his bed, though no sexual relationship occurred.
On what would become her last day, Lukasz gave her pizza and fruit, and she ate for the first time after fearing he might poison her. He then took her shopping for shoes, which had been taken away. Afterward, he drove her to the UK consulate in Milan and gave her a list of conditions for her release: she must end any investigation and pay the ransom herself.
Not Being Believed
After speaking to the police, it became clear that Lukasz and his brother Michał Herba were the only ones involved. There had been no international crime gang. Chloe’s account was confirmed by Italian authorities, and after a month of investigations, she was allowed to fly home.
Her initial plan was to keep quiet and move on with her life. “I was embarrassed by it,” she explains. “I didn’t want anyone to ever know—but that choice was taken away from me.” What she hadn’t anticipated was the reaction to a press conference the Italian authorities held the day before she returned to the UK.
Some struggled to accept parts of her story, such as why she was holding hands with Lukasz while shopping, and how he released her without police intervention. His lawyer quickly declared the kidnapping a publicity stunt to benefit Chloe’s career. “It was a perfect combination of all the things that made it unbelievable,” she admits. “My job as a glamour model is associated with publicity. How I look and dress, which was normal to me, didn’t go down well. Neither did my calm reactions.”
She adds, “It’s expected that when something bad happens, a person must be sad and crying. Cases are more complex than that. Mine certainly was.”
The Impact on Chloe
In 2020, Lukasz was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 16 years and nine months in prison. In 2021, Michał received 16 years and eight months. Their sentences have since been reduced to 12 years and one month, and five years and eight months, respectively.
Despite the convictions, Chloe still feels the lingering effects of not being believed. Now 28, she has spoken openly about making money from her story, appearing on shows like Celebrity Big Brother and releasing an autobiography. She also visited TV studios for interviews on This Morning, Good Morning Britain, and Lorraine, where she calmly discussed her experience.
The 2024 six-part drama, Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story, helped correct some misconceptions, and soon, the BBC will release a documentary titled Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping. The three-part series features interviews with friends, investigators, and Phil, and Chloe will recount the events in her own words.
Understanding Herself
The backlash also led Chloe to reflect on her personality. She recalled childhood moments when she was scolded for smiling during discipline. As she grew older, people often commented on her “monotone voice” and questioned whether she had Botox, as she showed few facial expressions.
A kind email from a teacher last autumn changed her perspective. The subject line: “Possible undiagnosed autism.” The message suggested that people might struggle to relate to her and encouraged her to seek a diagnosis. After following the advice, she received a diagnosis in March, which helped her understand her reactions better.
“It was a relief to get the diagnosis,” she says. “I’m able to give myself more grace and patience. All these things that I was trying to change, I don’t worry about anymore.”
Chloe also learned to appreciate parts of herself that she had never been given the chance to embrace. “My calmness helped me so much in the kidnapping, but in the media, it backfired. I never got recognition for getting myself out. Experienced detectives couldn’t save me; I had to rely on myself. I was only 20 years old, but I outsmarted the kidnapper.”
A New Perspective
Chloe, who still works as a model but prefers sharing content on Instagram and OnlyFans, hopes the documentary can shift public perception on how victims of trauma should act or behave. “I want people not to judge what they don’t understand. A victim shouldn’t have to fit in your ideal box,” she says passionately.
She adds with a smile: “And I like proving people wrong.”
Despite everything she went through, Chloe never sought therapy, as she didn’t see the point in “talking to a random person.” But after spending hours being interviewed for the documentary, she feels she’s found the closure she needed.
“I’m definitely the happiest I’ve ever been now,” she shares. “I could never have had a still, one-dimensional life. I need to take the ups and downs as it’s interesting.”
Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer on August 4 and live on BBC Three at 9pm.
