Katie Price's heartbreaking reason for becoming 'mum' to two lifelike dolls

Katie Price's devoted fans were left scratching their heads after she posted a photo of two tiny tots, announcing her twins had "finally arrived ". The 46-year-old ex-glamour model confirmed that "yes, I do have twins" and even shared their names. However, it was later revealed that the babies were reborn dolls, which can cost into the thousands. A source told OK! about the emotional reasons behind Katie's decision to become a 'mum' to these dolls.

"She's been through a lot of trauma in her life and she's been at her happiest when she's had her babies," they said. "It's her happy place and safe place, but the beauty of them not being real is she can just get on with her life as normal and they don't keep her up all night." Katie has previously opened up about suffering miscarriages during her marriage to Peter Andre and while with Carl Woods, reports OK!.

In her latest autobiography, she described the pain of failed IVF and subsequent miscarriage as "But having failed IVF and then having IVF only to miscarry is very horrific." Back in 2019, she told Loose Women that she'd had "more than" three miscarriages in her life and, being self-employed, she "just had to get on with it, you just have to grieve on your own."

Our source says these losses still weigh heavy on her. "In the absence of real babies, and to cope with the losses she's had in the past, pouring all her efforts and money and time into these two dolls," they claimed. "She's re-creating the feelings of euphoria you get after having a baby, such as shopping for baby clothes, posting photos, and getting all the comments and likes with people saying 'congratulations'. She's getting a buzz, a rush like you get from a newborn baby high. There's a lot of endorphins and happy hormones going along with all this, which will actually be good for her mental health."

In an interview last year, Katie claimed she'd been told by her therapist at the Priory that they'd never known anyone "to have so many traumatic events happen to them," adding, "And I'm still here, coping."

Reborn dolls are lifelike silicone 'babies', and suppliers say they're often bought by people who've lost loved babies. Bianca Cleaver of Ivy Reborns said: "Our lifelike dolls offer a meaningful way to nurture and bond, providing comfort and a sense of connection. For those longing for motherhood, these dolls can help fulfil that desire, while also serving as a therapeutic outlet for those in grief."

Despite being in her mid-40s, when the chances of becoming pregnant naturally fall to less than five per cent, Katie wrote in her summer autobiography, "I can categorically say - I will be having a baby". Katie hasn't commented on the dolls publicly, and our source claims she's treating them as real-life children. While the price tag of a doll can skyrocket to a staggering £20,000, they typically sell for around £150 to £300.

Customers have the option to select features such as hair colour and whether the doll's eyes are open or closed. Each doll usually comes with a birth certificate, dummy, and one complete outfit. Recently, Katie was seen expanding her twin dolls' wardrobe by shopping for designer baby clothes and blankets at a London TK Maxx store. Despite the hefty costs, our insider reveals that the former Page 3 model - who recently appeared in court after being declared bankrupt over an unpaid £750,000 tax bill, which she claimed last week she had "sorted" - would "happily have an army of them".

"Some of the dolls can cost a fortune but she's embracing everything that comes with having them like shopping for clothes, giving them cuddles, carrying them around and introducing them as 'her babies'," they said. "She's not fazed by the cost, her maternal instincts are kicking in and she's loving it." Meanwhile, her boyfriend JJ Slater has yet to comment on the dolls, but our source suggests he's "happy go lucky" in their relationship and will support whatever Katie desires.

As well as all the congratulatory messages, there were also a few questioning whether it was a stunt to drum up attention for Katie's imminent Channel 4 documentary. Already a mother to five – Harvey, 22, Junior, 19, Princess, 17, Jett, 11, and Bunny, 10 – Katie is going public in this raw tell-all, which captures her IVF attempts with former partner Carl Woods. Taking to TikTok, she recently opened up to her followers: "I've done [IVF] five times and it's failed, you'll watch the whole journey...it comes out next year. If you fail IVF there are ways you can still get your babies, trust me, because that's what I've done."

Stefan Walters, a psychologist with expertise in trauma and Brainspotting therapy, points out that forming bonds with objects like dolls can be quite normal and may serve as coping mechanisms. For Katie, these dolls could potentially be a way to navigate through any grief from not having been able to have more children.

Stefan remarked on the significance of dolls for those in mourning, saying: "These dolls, for many people, can be attachment objects during their time of grieving their children, or a transitional object which is something that helps somebody move on in a relationship". He added, "People are able to project their grief onto the object. These objects, the dolls, might be a way for Katie to process and move through those feelings, and over time she may feel that she needs not to be quite so attached to the objects."

Meanwhile, Katie's sister Sophie, who co-hosts The Katie Price Show podcast with her, was nearing the end of her second pregnancy as OK! magazine went to print, hinting at another potential new member of the Price family. Despite the joy this brings, a source suggests it could also serve as a stark reminder to Katie of what she lacks but yearns for deeply. The source divulged, "Katie's talked about having unsuccessful IVF and in the new documentary she's going to disclose other losses and traumas that she's never spoken about before."

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact Tommy’s, the UK's pregnancy and baby loss charity, for free on 0800 014 7800, or email midwife@tommys.org.