Paris Hilton opens up about abuse she endured as a teenager at boarding school: 'I felt like a prisoner'

‘I buried my truth for so long’ says reality star

Paris Hilton has opened up about the abuse she endured at boarding school, saying she “felt like a prisoner”.

In a new interview, the star – who is releasing a new documentary called This Is Paris – claims that staff at Provo Canyon School were “hitting and strangling” students during her 11 months there in the 1990s.

“I buried my truth for so long,” Hilton told People. “But I'm proud of the strong woman I've become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am.”

Hilton went on to explain that before she left for boarding school, she was living in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel with her parents, and often broke their rules.

“It was so easy to sneak out and go to clubs and parties,” she recalled.

“My parents were so strict that it made me want to rebel. They'd [punish me] by taking away my cell phone, taking away my credit card, but it didn't work. I would still go out on my own.”

Eventually, Hilton's parents decided to send her to the boarding school and as soon as she arrived, the reality star said she had a bad feeling that it was “going to be worse than anywhere else.”

“It was supposed to be a school, but [classes] were not the focus at all. From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture,” she said.

“The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down.”

She continued: “And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instil fear in the kids so we'd be too scared to disobey them.”

Paris Hilton was sent to boarding school after breaking her parents' rules (Getty Images)

Three of Hilton’s classmates also appear in the YouTube documentary and shared similar stories of being force-fed medication and being held down by restraints.

The Simple Life star said she “hated life” at the time but that she never told her parents for fear of not being believed.

“I didn’t really get to speak to my family, maybe once every two or three months,” Hilton explained. “We were cut off from the outside world. And when I tried to tell them once, I got in so much trouble I was scared to say it again.

“They would grab the phone or rip up letters I wrote telling me, ‘No one is going to believe you.’ And the staff would tell the parents that the kids were lying. So my parents had no idea what was going on.”

When she turned 18 in 1999, Hilton left the school and went back to live in New York, but said she remained scared to speak about her experience.

“I was so grateful to be out of there, I didn’t even want to bring it up again,” Hilton explained. “It was just something I was ashamed of and I didn’t want to speak of it.”

In a statement shared with People, the boarding school said it cannot comment on the claims made by Hilton and her peers.

“Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000,” the statement read.

“We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time.”

Hilton said she is not planning any legal action against the schools, but wanted to use her story to help raise awareness and help her move on.

“It feels like my nightmare is over,” she said. “And I’m going to watch the movie with my parents – I think it will be good for us, but emotional too. There are no more secrets.”

Hilton continued: “I want these places shut down. I want them to be held accountable. And I want to be a voice for children and now adults everywhere who have had similar experiences. I want it to stop for good and I will do whatever I can to make it happen.”

This Is Paris premieres 14 September on Hilton’s YouTube channel. The Independent has contacted Provo Canyon School for comment.