Katie Price's NTA Appearance Sparks Warning From Former Page 3 Peer: 'Bad Publicity' Is Harmful

Katie Price's appearance at the National Television Awards has prompted former Page 3 model Leilani Dowding to challenge the belief that all publicity is beneficial.

Price, 48, attended the ceremony at London's O2 Arena on Tuesday alongside her 19-year-old daughter, Princess Andre. Her appearance attracted online criticism over her outfit and claims that she was attempting to upstage Princess, while the event came shortly after Price underwent further cosmetic procedures in Brussels.

Dowding, who shared representation with Price during their modelling careers, said she was prompted to speak after seeing photographs from the event. She recalled admiring Price's success when they were Page 3 models and argued that the long-standing idea that there is no such thing as bad publicity can instead be harmful.

Dowding's Warning About Celebrity Publicity

Dowding's comments reflect a shift in how the attention surrounding celebrities is viewed. During her own modelling career, she said publicity was often treated as valuable simply because it kept a person in the public eye, regardless of whether the coverage was positive or negative.

Her response to Price's NTA appearance challenges that assumption, arguing that repeated negative attention can have consequences and should not automatically be considered useful to a celebrity's career.

The comments are particularly notable because Dowding and Price were both part of the Page 3 modelling world before building separate careers in the public eye. Dowding said she had once looked at Price's success with admiration, making her criticism less about one outfit or one event and more about the culture surrounding celebrity coverage.

Price has not publicly responded to Dowding's comments.

Price Explains Her NTA Look

Price had revealed before the ceremony that her usual glam team would not be preparing her after a disagreement over her outfit. She said the team wanted her to wear different clothes, while she preferred to choose her own look.

She subsequently attended the NTAs in a white shirt, black lace shorts, tights and heels, with her hair styled in a slicked-back wet look. Price had also shared photographs showing swelling and bruising following her procedures and said her new make-up artist would have to cover the effects before the ceremony.

Her appearance alongside Princess became another focus of online discussion. The Mirror reported that a source accused Price of seeking to draw attention away from her daughter, while another account said she walked past reporters before posing with Princess and her son Junior. The claims were attributed to sources and were not independently established.

Princess later posted photographs from the evening featuring herself and Junior without their mother. Price separately shared photographs with her children and sister Sophie and wrote that she had enjoyed being with her family.

Price's Long Career in the Spotlight

The reaction comes after decades in which Price's career has been closely followed by the British entertainment press. She first became widely known as a glamour model before moving into reality television and other media work, while her relationships, family life and cosmetic procedures have also attracted regular coverage.

Dowding's comments place the reaction to Price's NTA appearance within a wider discussion about the nature of celebrity publicity. Her argument is not that publicity itself is harmful, but that negative coverage should not automatically be viewed as preferable to being out of the public eye.