By [Your Name] | August 5, 2025
British model Chloe Ayling has revealed she was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), nearly eight years after surviving a harrowing kidnapping in Italy that thrust her into the global spotlight and subjected her to years of skepticism and public scrutiny.
The revelation was made in a BBC documentary titled My Unbelievable Kidnapping, which aired last night.
The program revisits the events of 2017, when Ayling, then 21, was lured to Milan for a photoshoot, only to be drugged, stuffed into a suitcase, and held hostage for six days by Lukasz Herba—a 30-year-old computer programmer from the West Midlands.
Herba, who claimed to be working for a fictitious group called Black Death, demanded a ransom of €300,000. Ayling was eventually freed and Herba was later convicted of kidnapping, initially receiving a 16-year sentence, which was later reduced to just over 11 years on appeal.
Despite Herba’s conviction, Ayling’s story has long been met with skepticism. Her lack of emotional expression during early interviews and a controversial photograph of her holding hands with her kidnapper during her ordeal led to accusations that the kidnapping was staged.
Online trolls accused her of orchestrating a publicity stunt, and her decision to appear on Big Brother the following year further fueled public doubt.
However, the BBC documentary explores how undiagnosed autism may have influenced her behavior during and after the traumatic incident.
In a poignant moment toward the end of the film, Ayling receives a formal diagnosis of ASD—an explanation she says has helped her understand years of emotional struggle and public misperception.
“For ages I was saying I was just not emotional, and now I realise I am,” Ayling said in the documentary. “The voice and lack of expression—no matter how hard I try, I can’t do it. That’s a big relief actually in being diagnosed, knowing I don’t have to keep trying to change something that’s just not going to happen.”
Reflecting on her childhood, Ayling recalled having difficulty with communication and emotional expression. “If I was being told off, I would smile.
I just had the wrong reactions to things,” she explained. “My mum would come with me on school trips because I wouldn’t be able to say what I wanted or express how I was feeling.”
The documentary also addresses criticism of Ayling’s demeanor upon returning home from Italy. Dressed in a vest and shorts, she appeared smiling in front of cameras while delivering a statement from her mother’s house—imagery some took as inconsistent with a traumatized victim.
The film reveals that Ayling’s behavior was shaped by an instinctive survival strategy. “I had to get him [Herba] on side to be able to get out,” she explained. “I want to show a victim doesn’t have to fit into a typical box to be believed.”
The model, now 28, has spent years trying to reclaim her narrative. The BBC also released a dramatized series in 2024 titled Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story, which depicts the events of her abduction and its aftermath.
Herba remains in prison, but Ayling continues to receive online abuse. The documentary sheds new light on her long and painful path to recovery—not only from a violent crime but also from years of public misjudgment.
“It’s interesting how something that happened so long ago still affects me,” she said. “But now I feel like I finally understand why—and maybe others will too.”
