Katie Price has proven to be an adoring mother and is fiercely protective of her eldest son Harvey, who requires around-the-clock care to support his complex needs. The pair's close bond has only been strengthened by DNA drama and an adoption row.
Former glamour model Katie has been open about the challenging reality of caring for Harvey, who has Septo-optic Dysplasia, autism and Prader-Willi syndrome. But less is known about Harvey's relationship with his biological father, former footballer Dwight Yorke.
Katie's pregnancy with Harvey was made significantly harder by Dwight, who initially refused to accept he was the father until a paternity test proved otherwise. The bitter feud between the pair erupted again when Katie's ex Peter Andre announced his intentions to adopt his beloved stepson.
Katie had briefly dated Dwight in 2001, but their relationship quickly collapsed in response to cheating allegations. The model revealed how she learned about her partner's infidelity while she was working on a lingerie photoshoot. Dwight addressed the accusations during a 2009 interview, admitting that he wasn't the "perfect partner".
He said: "I think anyone who's in a relationship would like their partner to be faithful and I'm saying I wasn't the perfect partner, she knows that."
The footballer visited his new son in hospital and wrote his name on Harvey's birth certificate, trying to insist that the child should take his surname. However, despite this initial show of paternal loyalty, Dwight's visits to Harvey quickly dwindled.
He admitted: "It is a combination of different things, one my time schedule and being based up in Manchester and a footballer on an everyday basis. Not sitting here and saying I'm a total perfect father, I've made mistakes along the way and I would love to turn the clock back."
But in his book published the same year, 'Born To Score', Dwight painted a very different picture of his feelings towards his son.
He wrote: "From the moment I set eyes on the little fella, I have loved my son like I could never ever have imagined possible. I am not going to hear anymore that I did not care for Harvey, or have any understanding of his needs or that I was not interested in his welfare."
The footballer stressed: "Over the years I have heard Katie saying how [Peter] Andre is Harvey's dad and what a terrible, uncaring father I have been, all of which sticks in my throat. Maybe if she had not made life so difficult for me, I might have been able to take a far more proactive role."
At the time, Dwight was furious about the news that Katie's then-husband Peter Andre wanted to adopt Harvey, threatening to "throttle" the singer. But five years later, Katie claimed that Dwight no longer had any form of relationship with his son.
She wrote in her 2014 autobiography: "The last time Harvey's biological father Dwight Yorke saw him, which was around eight years ago, the first thing he asked was why was Harvey so big. Why was I overfeeding him?
"I'd explained Harvey's condition to Dwight many times, but he refused to understand it and kept going on about him being fat. It's sad that he's unable to accept Harvey for who he is and seems unable or unwilling to work within his limitations."
Katie continued: "On that occasion, I think Dwight wanted to blame someone for the fact that his son is disabled. I have always said that if Dwight could see what a courageous and talented boy Harvey is then he would enjoy being with him so much."
Katie claims to have repeatedly encouraged Dwight to look beyond these prejudices, insisting that it's "never too late" for him to build a relationship with Harvey. In 2018 she told Dwight that the "door is always open" when she shared a series of Harvey as a child.
When the invitation fell on deaf ears, Katie made a more desperate plea in 2019. She claimed that Harvey "didn't deserve it" as she shared a heart-breaking video of her boy asking for his dad.
Katie asked Harvey who he would like to write a message to, and Harvey replied: "Daddy Dwight." He explained that the would tell his father: "I love you Daddy Dwight. You look beautiful."
Sharing the video with her two million Instagram followers, Katie wrote: "Anyone who knows @Officialdwightyorke19 please get him to contact his son. Harvey doesn't deserve this, he sees his other son Tiger so I don't understand! He does charity work for different kids charity yet doesn't see or support his own son. I don't get it!"
In 2020, Katie unveiled radical plans to introduce her ex and his son after supposed years of estrangement.
Chatting with a friend, Katie said: "What I would like to do is turn up at his dad's place - Dwight Yorke's - ring the doorbell and be there with Harvey, for him to see Harvey. That's what I would like to do and I will do that. I think Dwight should start entering Harvey's life, it's been years."
Accusing Dwight of avoiding his son since he was four, Katie added: "I would love Dwight to come into contact with Harvey. How can you not want to know Harv? He's so funny."
In 2021, Katie described how Dwight had actually spoken to Harvey over the phone on his tenth birthday - and she was "shocked" that it happened. "But I think Dwight was even more shocked when Harvey asked him, 'When am I seeing you?'," she wrote in her book.
Katie explained that during her last meeting with Dwight in 2012, the exes discussed the pleas that Harvey had made over the phone. In a brutal cop-out, Dwight said that he didn't want to be in Harvey's life.
Katie wrote: "Even after he said that, I was still trying to be persistent. I wanted Harvey to have his dad in his life, but he just wasn't interested in any of it. This isn't about me. This is your son and your flesh and blood. But he just didn't give a s**t."
She continued: "There's only so much you can try before you realise you're flogging a dead horse. I got up and left and that's the last time I saw him. I haven't heard from him since."
Despite Dwight failing to take responsibility for his son, Harvey's maternal grandmother, Amy Price, revealed that the footballer's agent has asked after his son multiple times.
In Katie's 2021 book, Amy is reported to have said: "I think it's sad that Dwight isn't in Harvey's life. His agent has always been in contact with me. If Harvey isn't well, she'll message me and ask how he is. But Dwight never asks himself."
The book explained that when Harvey was rushed to intensive care the year before, Dwight's agent rang Amy to ask "how bad he was".
The protective grandmother replied: "Look, this has got to stop now. If Dwight wants to know about Harvey, he's got our number and he should ring us himself."
Amy stressed: "He shouldn't be going through his agent. It's about time he took some responsibility. But we've heard nothing from Dwight, which is a shame. Harvey is also missing out on a relationship with his brother, as Dwight has another son. It really is such a shame because we always had a good relationship with Dwight."
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