Chloe Ayling, the British model at the centre of an upcoming kidnapping trial, has appeared on Good Morning Britain to defend her version of events. The 20-year-old claimed she was taken by a human trafficking group named Black Death in July, after being lured to a fake modelling shoot in Milan. Questions have since been raised about her account, particularly after a recent police dossier revealed that she had bought a pair of shoes while out shopping with one of her alleged kidnappers. Polish brothers Lukasz, 30, and Michal Herba, 36, are currently in custody accused of her kidnap.
Chloe Ayling appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday
Asked by Piers Morgan why she had "lied" to the police, Chloe replied: "It was the tenth hour of the interview. I didn't lie, I just brushed it off." Piers retorted: "You didn't think it was significant that you were out shopping with one of the alleged kidnappers? I think one for the things that has made people sceptical is that it's come out you lied to the police."
Chloe later added: "No one understands the reasoning unless you have been through what I have been through. No one can tell me how I should have behaved with the kidnapper or how I am reacting now… I know that when the actual trial happens the headlines will change. Everyone is valuing opinion over fact." She also suggested that her choice of career had influenced the public's perception of her. "If I was just a normal 30-year-old, not a 30-year-old model, do you think people would have the same opinions? No… I can answer all of them [the questions]. I don't have anything to hide. I want to answer questions. Eventually the truth will come out."
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The 20-year-old model is at the centre of a kidnapping trial
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One of Chloe's alleged kidnappers is currently fighting extradition to Italy, and his lawyer has suggested that the entire case could be a "sham". Last week, Michael Herba's lawyer appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court during extradition proceedings against his client, and called into question Chloe's reliability. "There is a real risk that the entire case is a sham," George Hepburne Scott said. "The same complainant, it seems, generated publicity from the fact she was nearby the scene of a terrorist attack at the Champs-Elysees in Paris." He also told the court that claims the 20-year-old and her captor went shopping for shoes was a "wholly anomalous feature of a hostage situation". "It would amount to an abuse of process of the court if there was any evidence to suggest this was a publicity stunt," he added.