Model Chloe Ayling has revealed one thing she promised her kidnapper during her week-long ordeal in Italy.
Convinced she was heading to a professional gig, the South London beauty arrived at what turned out to be a "silent" and eerie "studio" back in July 2017. Chloe says a man suddenly seized her from behind, clasping his hand over her mouth, while an accomplice injected ketamine into her system.
She was then handcuffed, zipped into a bag, and whisked away to a farmhouse near Turin. There, she was confronted by her captors claiming they were part of "The Black Death Group" and would be auctioning her off as a sex-slave.
One of her captors, Polish-born Lukasz Herba who lived in the West Midlands, started to befriend Chloe. Although Herba voiced desires to free Chloe amid fears of the shadowy group, he still initially demanded a whopping €300,000 for her release.
Speaking on 60 Minutes Australia after her release, Chloe said: "I had to say after I'm released I promise I will meet you and stuff. I gave him that hope and I guess that's why he set me free."
When asked if Chloe attempted to make Herba "fall in love with her in order to survive", she added: "Yes, everything I did was to survive."
Herba eventually escorted Chloe to the British consulate in Italy, insisting she introduce him merely as a friend. He also demanded a payment of £50,000 from her once she returned to the UK.
Upon her release, Chloe's account was met with scepticism, with many questioning why CCTV footage showed them shopping for shoes during the ordeal. She was also seen having breakfast with Herba just before her release.
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Chloe, however, insists that she felt "so brainwashed" by Herba that she feared being killed if she tried to escape. Herba was arrested on the spot when Chloe was freed.
His brother, Michal Herba, was later apprehended. The brothers attempted to argue that the kidnapping was a publicity stunt to boost Chloe's modelling career.
Nonetheless, Lukasz Herba was found guilty of kidnapping in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years and nine months in prison. After an appeal, his sentence was reduced to 12 years and one month after a judge ruled he "acted compassionately" when he released Chloe.
Michal Herba was convicted of kidnap and extortion, receiving a sentence of 16 years and eight months in prison. However, he too appealed, and his term was reduced to five years and eight months in 2021 after the extortion charge was dropped.
Chloe has since continued her modelling career and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. She now operates an OnlyFans page where people can pay for uncensored content.
Her story has been adapted into a six-part BBC Three drama series, Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story, which is set to broadcast this evening. Nadia Parkes, known for her role in Tokyo Vice, portrays Chloe.
