A County Durham woman has spoken of the "once in a lifetime" experience of modelling alongside Harvey Price at the launch of his latest clothing line.
Kelly Waite, who previously appeared on the reality series Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, modelled on the London catwalk with Katie Price's son Harvey to showcase the release of his autism-friendly clothing line Black and Gold.
Harvey, 19, is autistic and was born with Septo-optic Dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder affecting his eyesight, as well as Prader-Willi syndrome which can cause learning difficulties and behavioural problems. His clothing range has been designed in collaboration with Born Anxious, a brand which specialises in creating comfortable clothing without labels.
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Kelly, from Trimdon, said: "Harvey absolutely loved the day and he was dancing on the stage. He loves the clothes because because they all have a frog motif on them because he loves frogs."
The 41-year-old added: "Harvey's carer brought him over from his college and we all made him some frog pictures and he took them back to the college with him. He seemed to like the picture I did the best and he wouldn't let it go, he just kept hold of it all day. It was so sweet.
"It was so good to meet Harvey and the team and spend time with them. We all had cake afterwards to celebrate and it was a once in a lifetime thing to do."
Kelly was invited to model Black and Gold at Chad's London Catwalk after working with Born Anxious to promote their brand before lockdown in March 2020. She is passionate about supporting autism charities and promoting inclusivity and diversity.
Kelly said: "The brand got in touch with me two weeks before the event and asked me to model Harvey's new range. I said yes straight away because it was to do with autism. I did the catwalk with Harvey and a few other brand ambassadors and a few other autistic children too.
"It was a showcase of diversity and inclusiveness. I have Asperger's myself and that's why I do a lot with autism charities when I can."
But as well as appearing on stage with Harvey to launch his clothing range, Kelly explained that the public appearance also held great significance to her as it was her first public appearance after undergoing an operation and feeling conscious about her scar.
She added: "I'd also been going through a lot of my own stuff during the lockdowns - I had an operation to get my thyroid removed and I've got a really big scar along my neck.
"The catwalk was my first public appearance since the operation and I was really conscious about that. But the catwalk was also about diversity and inclusion so it was the perfect opportunity to overcome that too.
"It was the perfect way to help myself and other people because if you show your insecurities it helps other people as well as yourself."
