For months Katie, 47, claimed she had split from boyfriend JJ, 32, but her friends can now reveal the glamor model mum had put on a brave face to hide the truth: that the couple’s problems were far worse than most knew.
Insiders at Camp Katie tell The Sun that the split had been a YEAR in the making and that she had secretly been unhappy for almost half of their relationship – despite her attempts to keep up appearances with loved-up snaps shared with her 2.7 million Instagram followers.
A source close to the mother-of-five revealed: “The truth is that Katie hasn’t been in love with JJ for over 12 months.
“She just hasn’t felt that spark between them in a long time and knew they weren’t right for each other. She had doubts for a long time, but despite that, she probably lasted longer with him than she should have.
“There have been so many fights and arguments between them, but until recently she kept trying to sort things out.”
So what made the feisty Kate, a woman known for her determination and never having trouble finding another suitor, to end up with a man she knew wasn’t right for her?
It turns out that she felt pressured by many in her inner circle to make things work.
The source added: “Many people in Katie’s family, as well as her friends, told her how good JJ was to her. They believed he was a real stabilizing force, and in many ways he was, so Katie kept trying to make things work.
He’s not really dynamic or fiery enough to keep someone like Katie interested in the long term
Insider
‘In the past she has pursued the wrong kind of men based on passion, chemistry and sexual attraction, but those relationships didn’t work out either, so this time she thought maybe it would be better if she stayed with the ‘nice’ guy.
“JJ is certainly a decent guy; he always tried to do the right thing for Kate and was great with the kids, but the initial excitement and chemistry between them died long ago. He’s not really dynamic or fiery enough to keep someone like Katie interested in the long term.
“In some ways he helped calm Kate down, but she needs more than that: she needs someone to challenge her and keep her on her toes. Kate tried to convince herself that she could be happy with ‘Mr Normal,’ but deep down she’s someone who needs to feel those fireworks, and she didn’t want to settle for something that just felt safe.”
As recently as Christmas, the couple were dogged by more split rumors, but Katie seemed to put a pin in it on Boxing Day as she took to social media to enjoy the festivities with JJ’s family.
However, when the new year arrived, we’re told Kate had an epiphany and realized she couldn’t get into 2026 if she wasn’t honest with herself.
Our insider explains: “January is a time of reflection and Kate realized she had to stop fooling herself. She decided to stop listening to outside noise and go with her heart.
“It may have been to her detriment at times, but Katie is someone who doesn’t just want stability; she wants love. She ultimately wants the fairy tale, and she will never stop looking for her Prince — even if things get messy along the way, as they often do for her.”
The three-year itch
As long-time followers of Katie’s soap opera-style love life will remember, not only did her marriages to Peter Andre, Alex Reid and Kieran Hayler all end in tears – not to mention the ongoing feuds with some of these former husbands to this day – but those she didn’t make it with have followed a similarly explosive course.
In addition to her husbands, many of her husbands have failed to cross the three-year mark.
Her romance with Dane Bowers, her first real love, crashed and burned after less than three years, while her one-off romance with footballer Dwight Yorke, the father of her son Harvey, was even shorter.
Handsome Argentinian model Leandro Penna dated between 2010 and 2011, but their engagement ended after six months, while personal trainer Kris Boyson turned out to be a failed fiance again in 2019 after two years together.
Carl Woods appeared to be on and off between 2020 and 2023, but their relationship was rocked by rumors of infidelity and frequent breakups.
Now JJ has joined the pile of broken relationships after a few years, with last week revealing he had moved out of her Horsham pad – and we’re told he’s still coming to terms with it all.
The insider said: “JJ knew things weren’t going well between them as they were constantly bickering, but he was still surprised when he got his marching orders as they had broken up a few times before and then always got back together within a few days.
She knows that many people in her life will be disappointed that she and JJ are no longer together, but she can’t live her life for others.
An insider
“This time, though, he knows there’s no going back. He’s sad because he loves Katie, but he also loves her family, but he realizes that, if he’s honest, maybe he got too comfortable in a relationship that ultimately wasn’t what either of them really deserved.
“In some ways it felt like they were an old married couple who had become complacent with each other, rather than a couple who had only been together for a few years.”
It was certainly a different story in the beginning. Katie and JJ got together in late 2023 after she saw him on Married At First Sight, where he had a secret affair with bride Ella Morgan.
After his breakup with Ella, which happened near the end of filming, months before the show aired, Katie slid into his DMs and a spark quickly ignited.
The source told us: “At first it was all very flirty and fun, and they felt like ripping each other’s pants off.
‘JJ was just Kate’s type – a pretty boy from reality TV – although he couldn’t believe his luck that Katie fancied him – he, like most boys, had grown up with a huge crush on her.
“The problem was that things got serious quite quickly when JJ moved in and became part of the furniture of Kate’s family life. He has his own clothing brand but as everyone knows it’s a challenging industry and his business has faced some problems.
“He often found himself following Kate around the country to her various work commitments, or helping to look after the children, and this became frustrating for both him and her.
Katie Price’s relationship history
We look back at the highs and lows of Katie Price’s relationship history.
1998–2000: Katie described Dane Bowers as ‘the love of her life’, but she broke up with the singer after he allegedly cheated on her.
2001: Footballer Dwight Yorke is the father of Katie’s eldest child Harvey. He had very little to do with his son throughout his life.
2002: Katie recovered from Dwight and had a night of passion with Pop Idol star Gareth Gates, reportedly taking his virginity.
2002–2004: Katie was dating Scott Sullivan when she went into the jungle for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!. He threatened to “knock Peter’s lights out” when her and Peter Andre’s chemistry blossomed.
2004–2009: The jungle romance resulted in Katie marrying Australian pop star Peter. They had two children, Junior and Princess, before their bitter split in 2009.
2010–2011: Fresh from her split from Peter, Katie enjoyed a whirlwind relationship and marriage to cage fighter Alex Reid. They separated twenty months after their wedding in Las Vegas.
2011: Katie had a brief relationship with model Danny Cipriani… but it ended as quickly as it began.
2011-2012: They didn’t speak the same language, but Katie got engaged to Argentinian model Leandro Penna in 2011. He later fled to South America.
2012-2018: The wedding bells rang again after Katie met Kieran Hayler in 2013. They had two children together, Jett and Bunny, before separating and divorcing.
2018-2019: Katie quickly moved on with Kris Boyson. They had an on-off romance for a year and even got engaged. They broke up for good in 2019.
2019: Katie was linked to Charles Drury during her on-again, off-again relationship with Kris. Charles, who also dated Lauren Goodger, has always denied having an “official relationship” with her.
2020-2023: Car salesman Carl Woods brought Katie to his attention in 2020. Their relationship was on and off for three years. They broke up for the last time last year.
2024-2026: After weeks of rumors, Katie confirmed her relationship with Married At First Sight star JJ Slater in February 2024. The couple split in January 2026 after two years together.
“He didn’t want to be known just as ‘Mr Katie Price’ and she didn’t want a man without a busy career of his own. It’s fair to say it all led to tension on both sides, and the honeymoon was long over before Katie finally pulled the plug on the relationship.
“It’s definitely going to be an adjustment for JJ now. Life with Katie is a crazy whirlwind, and while he may not have always been happy, there’s something enticing about being in that kind of spotlight, even if it’s dysfunctional.”
So, while JJ adjusts to life after Pricey, what’s next for Katie herself?
Those who know her well certainly don’t expect her to remain single for long.
They added: ‘Katie could say publicly that she wants to take time out to find Mr Right, but she is a serial monogamist who finds it difficult to be alone, so I would be very surprised if she was still on the market next summer.
“Since she hasn’t been happy for a long time, I expect she’ll soon find someone who can make her laugh again. There’s probably no shortage of men in her DMs already.”
As her own famous saying goes: Never underestimate the Pricey.
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