How Katie Price has rekindled with ‘partner in crime’ pal amid divorce – after night with her shamed footie brother

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IT is only natural for someone going through tough times to call upon old friends, and Katie Price is no exception as she deals with her divorce from conman Lee Andrews.

The Sun has learnt that the glamour model has rekindled her friendship with Faye Johnson, sister of the disgraced footballer Adam Johnson, who stood by the paedo when he was jailed for sex offences against a 15-year-old fan.

The pals are said to have partied over the summer and are closer than ever as Faye helps the reality TV star get over her split from Lee, with Katie describing Faye as her “partner in crime”.

Katie has known the Johnson family for years and bonded with Adam’s mum and sister over a shared love of horses.

Faye and Katie were pictured together on a night out in Magaluf in July 2016.

Faye, from County Durham, also visited the mum-of-five at her home in West Sussex and tweeted a selfie with the star, captioned: “Had a great few days with @MissKatiePrice thank you so much for been there for me… Shows you are a true friend.”

But the friendship, which certainly raised eyebrows, has very much been kept under wraps in recent years.

One insider said: “Faye has had a tough old time after everything that went on with her brother. Many people turned their back on her and proved to be fake friends.

“Not Katie. Katie is loyal. They recently hung out and partied together. They had a lot to catch up on and, as always, they had a good old chinwag.

“Katie has had quite the year, so Faye was all ears. They’ve been thick as thieves ever since.”

Faye attracted controversy in 2016 when she set up a Justice for Johnson campaign shortly after her former Sunderland footballer brother was found guilty of child sex offences.

Faye posted a photo of the footballer hugging his daughter, asking for people to support his appeal but Facebook later took down a group page she set up.

Katie has her own history with the disgraced sportstar.

She once spent an evening with the shamed footballer after he “bought” her for £12,000 at a charity auction.

The paedo player, who reportedly had posters of Katie on his wall, and fellow England star Micah Richards splashed the cash at a ball held in Cheshire back in 2010.

One of the prizes was dinner with the glamour girl – 32 at the time – and Johnson – who was sat at a table with her – quickly bid £10,000 for the pleasure.

But in true Katie style, she demanded more, telling them: “They have been giving it large all night. Come on, you can go to £12,000 – who is it you play for, Man City?”

Micah paid the remaining £2,000 to secure the deal – leaving Johnson “grinning like a schoolboy”.

A partygoer told TessideLive at the time: “Adam Johnson is a huge Katie fan. He had posters of her on his bedroom wall back in the day. But at £10k, Adam stalled so Micah came to the rescue, saying he’d chip in another £2,000 and they’d both take Katie out.

“When the hammer came down on £12,000, everyone cheered. Katie went over and gave both boys a peck on the cheek and told them, tongue in cheek, they were in for the night of their lives.

“Adam was grinning like a schoolboy for the rest of the night.”

The extravagant bid came after he was snapped up by Manchester City for a rumoured £7million, signing a lucrative four-a-half-year contract.

He signed for Sunderland for £10million in 2012 and played for them up until his arrest.

The disgraced footballer was jailed in March 2016 for offences committed against a 15-year-old Sunderland fan.

The shamed star admitted kissing the underage fan after exchanging messages online, but she claimed it had gone much further than just kissing.

During the trial, the prosecution said it was a “classic case of grooming” and Johnson’s victim described how she’d been through the “hardest year of her life”.

Johnson admitted one charge of sexual activity and one of grooming. He was found guilty by jury of a second offence of sexual activity.

He was released from HMP Moorland in 2019 after serving half of his six-year prison term, but has kept a low profile since.

The ex-winger earned £60,000-a-week before he was sent down, and is estimated to be worth around £5 million.

Following his release in 2019, Katie was forced to deny claims that she was helping the paedo footballer to promote his public image.

The Telegraph reported that Johnson, then 31, has sought out help from the former glamour model to revamp his reputation.

But Katie’s rep denied the story, and fired back: “Katie knows Faye [Johnson’s sister] and her mum as they all have horses but she has absolutely no involvement with Adam.”

“She knows Faye from the past, but that’s it, they are not in regular contact.

“She is not assisting Adam in reviving his career, that is completely untrue.”

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Tuesday 15 September

Genoa