Paris Hilton Says She Pretended To Be A “Barbie Airhead” To Hide Childhood Trauma: “In Real Life, I’m The Exact Opposite”

Paris Hilton says she would only pretend to be a “Barbie airhead” to hide her childhood trauma.

Hilton, 39, is opening up for the first time about the image and lifestyle she lived in order to hide the traumatic upbringing she endured, which she discussed on an upcoming episode of “CBS Sunday Morning.” The “The “Simple Life” socialite has been known for many things: always being on the scene, her lavish and wealthy lifestyle, and for always saying something’s “hot.” But what’s not so hot are the secrets she’s kept to herself for most of her life. She says the person we know and the person she truly is are totally different.

“There’s so many differences,” said Hilton. “With the character, it’s mostly kind of this blonde, bubbly, kind of Barbie airhead. And, in real life, I’m the exact opposite. … I’m not a dumb blonde. I’m just very good at pretending to be one.” The real side of Hilton will be featured on the upcoming YouTube film “This is Paris,” which is set to debut on Sept. 14. The film will detail the star’s painful childhood, her wild teenage years, and the time her parents sent her to several “behavior modification schools.” During her time at Provo Canyon School in Utah, Hilton says she was abused, choked, and hit.

Officials from the Provo Canyon School told “CBS Sunday Morning” that the facility was sold by its previous owners back in August 2000 and could not comment on the “the operations or patient experience prior to this time” – adding that it does “not condone or promote any form of abuse.” Hilton says she never told her family about what she endured. “When I got out, I was just so grateful and so happy to be free and to be out of there that I just didn’t want to bring it up,” Hilton said. “I was, like, I’d rather, you know, just never talk about this. Just don’t think about it. And the moment I stepped out of that building is when I decided I’m never telling this story to anyone, ever.”

For Hilton, this will be the first time the world gets to see who she truly is in the upcoming film. “I think when people see the film, they’re going to see a completely different side,” said Hilton. “And they’re going to see I am human, and I do have feelings.” Hilton also highlighted that her 2003 sex tape can also be attributed to her earlier years in Utah. “That would never have happened if I hadn’t gone to that school,” Hilton said. “I just feel when I got out of that school, I was so lost. And then I ended up meeting the person who did that. And I never would have let someone like that in my life if I hadn’t gone through such experiences. And therefore, I would have never put myself in that situation. But I just wanted love so bad. I didn’t really know. I was so naïve. And I trusted the wrong person. And that’s something I’ll regret for the rest of my life.”