Katie Price has never been one to shy away from a headline, and her appearance at this year’s National Television Awards was no exception.

The 48-year-old former glamour model walked the red carpet at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday night sporting a dramatically bold make-up look — heavy smoky eyes, silver eyeshadow, an extended black wing, and a deep tan — which she paired with a white button-down shirt, high-waisted lace hot pants, sheer black tights, and pointed stiletto ankle boots.

The internet, predictably, had a lot to say. And now Katie has responded — partly by explaining the method behind the madness, and partly by shrugging off the criticism entirely.

The Surgery Behind the Make-Up

Speaking on her podcast, The Katie Price Show, Katie revealed that she had undergone cosmetic procedures the day before the NTAs. She flew to Brussels for corrective breast surgery — because, as she put it, “one was bigger than the other” following a procedure two months prior — and also had filler injected into her temples and face.

The filler caused unexpected swelling. “I didn’t know it would swell up like this,” she explained, adding that the surgeon had injected “to the bone,” which led to bruising.

Enter make-up artist Mitchell Halliday — known as Made By Mitchell — who was tasked with covering the bruising and swelling for the red carpet. Katie told her sister Sophie that she gave him full creative freedom: “I said he could do whatever he wants”.

“They’ve Used the Wrong Lighting”

Katie’s defence of the look is simple: the photos didn’t do it justice.

“Obviously when you have make-up like this, if you’re in the wrong light, it can look proper plastered on,” she said on the podcast. “Which is sad because a lot of the lighting, they’ve used the wrong lighting to cane on my face in the papers”.

She insisted that in person, the look was exactly what she wanted. “In the right light and in life, I loved it and everyone commented about it and I loved how I looked,” she said. “It’s exactly what I wanted. Mission accomplished”.

Later in the episode, she doubled down: “It was so much better in life than some of the pictures, because people love to get angles or the wrong lighting to make it look like… but we know how that works”.

And her final verdict? “But she still made the headlines, so I don’t care”.

The “Hijacking” Accusation

Katie also addressed another criticism that emerged from the night: claims that she “hijacked” her daughter Princess Andre’s red carpet moment. Princess, 19, and her brother Junior, 21, were both at the NTAs, and Katie walked the carpet alongside them.

“I saw a headline this morning about ‘Katie Price hijacks Princess’s red carpet appearance,’” she said on the podcast. “I’m like, ‘Oh, for f***’s sake.’ Like, I didn’t hijack at all. They both had individual pictures, and then they wanted a little family picture, that’s it”.

She also pushed back on reports that she skipped interviews to get to her kids. “Skipped? We said we weren’t doing interviews!” she said. “What am I going to do if I see my kids on the red carpet and they see me? What, are we going to stay away from each other?”

Katie also revealed that she had advised Princess on her outfit for the evening, telling her to wear something “completely different” that made her “look like a princess.” She said Princess was initially reluctant but ultimately loved the result.

The Make-Up Artist’s Response

Mitchell Halliday, the make-up artist behind the divisive look, has also spoken out after facing cruel comments from trolls. Some social media users compared Katie to “an overcooked roast chicken,” a “reptile,” and even the Xenomorph from Alien.

In a video response, Mitchell said he was “genuinely a little bit upset” by what he read — not because people didn’t like his work, but because of the nature of the comments. “My client was happy, that’s all that matters to me,” he said.

He explained that his brief was to “do something different” from what other celebrities were wearing on the carpet, and to make Katie “feel like Katie Price, the one that we all know and love, Jordan”.

He added that Katie was “over the moon” with the look and that she had told him it was the first time in her life she looked at herself and said, “Wow, you’re a star”.

The Bigger Picture

Katie’s NTAs appearance comes amid a turbulent personal period. It was her first major public event since the reveal that she has separated from her fourth husband, Lee Andrews. She has previously said she would share more when she’s “ready”.

Whether you loved the look or loathed it, one thing is clear: Katie Price knows exactly how to get people talking. And as she herself put it, she still made the headlines — so she doesn’t care.

What did you think of Katie’s NTAs look? Let us know in the comments.