The abduction of Chloe Ayling is being made into a new BBC drama entitled Kidnapped, it’s been revealed.
Chloe was kidnapped in Milan, Italy in 2017 after travelling there for a photoshoot. The series is based on Chloe‘s own book Kidnapped, detailed research, extensive interviews and documented legal proceedings.
The Page 3 model and Celebrity Big Brother star was accused of lying about the kidnapping and thrown into a media storm when she returned to the UK. The series asks why Chloe was blamed for her kidnappers’ crimes.
BBC drama Kidnapped to bring ‘new details to light’
The drama is written by Killing Eve and Skins writer Georgia Lester. The series will follow Chloe’s terrifying kidnap, her bravery and resilience in captivity and the subsequent court case that put her kidnappers in jail. It will also question why Chloe was “blamed” for her own kidnapping and why her story wasn’t believed. Chloe was famously interviewed by Piers Morgan in 2017, who grilled her about the details of her kidnapping.
The wider world will get to know the truth about what happened to me and learn of the many details that weren’t brought to light originally.
The six-part drama is being made with Chloe’s full cooperation and support. She said: “I am excited that BBC Studios are telling my story and that the wider world will get to know the truth about what happened to me and learn of the many details that weren’t brought to light originally. Georgia Lester and the team have been incredibly supportive in our conversations, and I couldn’t be happier that they are making this series.”
The series will start filming later this year and casting details haven’t been announced just yet.
Who kidnapped Chloe Ayling?
Chloe was kidnapped in 2017 in Milan, Italy when she was aged 20. Her agent, Phil Green, set up a photoshoot there after being contacted by Andre Lazio. Once there, she was abducted by two men who told her they were part of a criminal gang called The Black Death Gang.
When Chloe failed to turn up to Gatwick that night, her mother contacted Phil Green. The next morning, Green received a ransom email from The Black Death Group and written by “MD”. The email demanded €300,000 or else Chloe would be auctioned off as a sex slave on the dark web. Phil Green contacted the UK consulate in Milan and Italian police visited the address, confirming it was not a photo studio. They found some of Chloe’s clothes but the investigation stalled over a lack of other evidence or emails.
After six days, Chloe turned up with one of her kidnappers at the Milan consulate. But suspicion fell on Chloe as the pair were seen together on CCTV in public, buying shoes and holding hands. It was later revealed that she was kidnapped by Polish national, Lukasz Herba, who used the alias Andre Lazio.
During the six days, Chloe was drugged with ketamine, handcuffed, put into a bag and driven to a remote farmhouse. Chloe learned during the trial that The Black Death Group wasn’t real and was made up by Lukasz Herba. His brother, Michael Herba, was also involved in the kidnapping.
Where is Lukasz Herba now?
Lukasv Herba was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 16 years and nine months in prison in June 2018. Herba was described by prosecutors as “a narcissist and a fantasist who was obsessed with Miss Ayling”. During his defence, Herba said he had previously met Chloe and had fallen in love with her. He claimed he wanted to create a scandal to help her career by creating publicity for her.
In 2020, Lukasz Herba’s sentence was reduced to 12 years and one month. In 2021, his brother Michael’s sentence was reduced on appeal to five years and eight months.
Chloe told The Guardian: “I don’t think people believed me because I wasn’t in tears. Also, because cameras are an everyday part of my life, I probably reacted differently from how most people would if they had been through the same thing.” She also said she was “stereotyped” as a glamour model who just wanted “fame and publicity”.
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