Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story - Season 1

Excited by her flourishing modelling career, Chloe prepares for a rescheduled photoshoot in Milan, feeling like the world is her oyster. But as she arrives at the studio, she is immediately grabbed by masked men, and suddenly everything goes black. Drugged and terrified, Chloe awakes in a duffel bag in the boot of a car and is taken to a remote farmhouse.

Trapped in the farmhouse and counting down the days until she is auctioned in a human trafficking ring, Chloe attempts to form a connection with MD and gain his sympathy. But, it is no easy feat navigating the erratic behaviour of her captor. Chloe recognises his desire to impress her and plays along, but she worries that she has taken it too far when his attraction grows. Meanwhile, Chloe's mother and agent are consumed with worry about her whereabouts.

Every second is excruciating for Chloe as she anticipates her release. The conditions that have been set for her by the criminal gang, which include not speaking to the police, fill her mind, and she questions whether she will ever escape this nightmare. She is forced to keep up pretences with MD, and, eventually, he escorts her to the consulate. Chloe is free... but her ordeal is far from over. She is plunged into an intense 15-hour police interview.

Stuck in Italy and desperate to go home, Chloe hires a lawyer to help her. She is told that the Italian authorities want her to stay for a pretrial, facing MD in court, and return to where she was held to give evidence before she can return home. Terrified of facing her captor again, Chloe urges her lawyer to find another way.

Back in Britain, Chloe is caught in a press whirlwind; a disastrous initial press statement calls her character into question, but she is determined to get her story heard and change the public's mind about her. Chloe deliberately throws herself into interviews to avoid sitting with her emotions, and she struggles balancing the perks of fame with the negative press and people she was once close to turning on her.

The stakes for Chloe couldn't be higher as she awaits the verdict of the trial – both for justice and for her damaged reputation. The press has a field day with the new information released, and Chloe starts to worry the jury might be taken in by the public narrative. Her confidence is knocked, and she questions whether to move forward with a big work opportunity on the horizon.