Katie Price has spoken out following the news that her former dressage trainer, Andrew Gould, has been selected for the Paris Olympics. Gould’s inclusion comes after Olympic equestrian Charlotte Dujardin received a suspension for mistreating a horse. The model, who appeared on Jeremy Vine, expressed her support for Gould, calling him “deserving” and “brilliant,” while also commenting on the “shocking” footage of Dujardin’s actions.
“I’d just like to clarify that I never had an affair with him,” Price stated, addressing the past rumors surrounding her divorce from singer Peter Andre in 2009. “You do spend a lot of time with your trainer but there was no affair going on.” She further elaborated, “I think it’s brilliant that he’s made it in to the Olympic team, brilliant! Especially because he taught me dressage.”
Regarding Dujardin’s controversial whip use, Price commented, “You use the whip as the cracking noise not to hit the horse. I was shocked when I saw that. It’s a animal. You should make the noise but no contact.” She added, “If that’s how she trains her horses, it’s not good it is. She is good but it makes you wonder if she does this to all the horses and if that’s the case then she should be stripped of everything. She should be an example of how you do things properly when you train horses.”
Price, 46, revealed she only found out about Gould’s selection the previous day and hasn’t seen him in years, although a friend’s spouse does his wife’s hair. “I moved house and no longer have a horse with him. If I see him, or if he sees this… I wish him luck because he deserves it!”
Charlotte Dujardin, a six-time Olympic medalist, was reportedly banned from the sport days before her scheduled competition after video emerged showing her striking a horse 25 times on its legs. This withdrawal has impacted her pursuit of becoming Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, a title she shared with cyclist Laura Kenny. Team GB reservist Becky Moody has taken Dujardin’s place, and Gould’s inclusion creates an additional spot on the team in case another rider withdraws.
Gould was previously at the center of media attention during Katie Price’s divorce from Peter Andre in 2009, following tabloid pictures of the model and Gould on a night out. While both Gould and Price denied infidelity at the time, Price later stated that Andre ended their marriage due to his belief in such claims.
Gould expressed his surprise and honor at being called up to the GB team, stating, “Not a post I was expecting to write and under these circumstances but as you may have heard I’ve been called up to be the 4th member of the GB team. It’s an absolute privilege and an honour to be given the trust and responsibility to be a member of the team. I will do everything I can to support the team whilst gaining as much experience of this time as possible. Indigro is feeling the best he’s ever felt and is ready to face whatever comes his way. Now it’s time to come together and support Team GB.”
In her 2012 revelations, Katie Price detailed how her friendship with Gould, who was married to PR executive Polly, caused significant distress to her then-husband. She recounted a specific night out in Bristol that led to their separation. “I said Pete would go mad if he knew I was out with Andrew because he had a problem with him, but everyone was saying ‘Don’t be silly, you’re a grown woman, he’s here with Polly’,” Price recalled. “Pete didn’t ask who was there, so I didn’t mention Andrew.” She described feeling sick when pictured with a gay male friend, fearing Peter’s reaction upon learning Andrew was also present.
Shortly after this incident, Peter Andre reportedly ended their marriage. At the time, Andrew and Polly Gould issued a statement regarding the strength of their relationship, with Polly expressing her unhappiness about the situation and Katie’s involvement in their lives.
In her 2010 autobiography, “You Only Live Once,” Price elaborated on Peter Andre’s jealousy towards her friendship with Gould, noting that Andre had met Gould and his wife briefly and sensed a negative dynamic. She admitted, “I admit we were both jealous in our marriage… Jealousy is a poison, a cancer, and once it starts growing out of control, it can destroy everything.”
Meanwhile, Dujardin’s fiancée, Dean Wyatt-Golding, commented on the scandal, calling it “all come out of the blue” and stating that he could not say anything beyond Charlotte’s official statement. He confirmed that Dujardin is cooperating with equestrian authorities.
This situation highlights the complexities and pressures within elite equestrian sports, where performance, training methods, and personal relationships can become intertwined and subject to intense public scrutiny. As Andrew Gould prepares for the Olympics, his past associations and the ongoing controversy surrounding Dujardin cast a long shadow over his well-deserved achievement.
