Paris Hilton insists she is a ‘tough business woman’ |
The 32-year-old former 'Simple Life' star - who is dating 21-year-old model River Viiperi - claims she is no longer interested in fame since Nathan Lee Parada tried to break into her Los Angeles home wielding a knife in August 2010, and is determined to follow in her family's footsteps by developing her own successful chain of hotels.
The Hilton hotel heiress told The Sun newspaper: "It was terrifying. I had never experienced anything like that before and it really shook the foundations of my world.
"I was certain he would kill me if he could get inside.
"Seeing someone with such hate in their eyes -- someone who wants to kill you -- makes you question things, and it made me wonder about the price of fame.
"There was so much chaos in my life at the time. After the attack I decided it was time to withdraw from the public eye before anything worse happened."
Paris' then boyfriend Cy Waits came to her rescue during the incident and her stalker was sentenced to two years for the burglary in April 2011 but she was then pursued by another obsessed fan, James Rainford.
She said: "It got to the point where I was not able to do everyday things.
"I put the most advanced security system in my house and hired a full-time security team.
"I stopped going to clubs and parties and I started focusing on my business interests instead."
Paris, who has an empire worth an estimated $1 billion, is now desperate to shake off her partying girl image and is starting her own hotel chain.
She said: "It would have been easy to sit back and live off my family, but I wanted to be independent and make my family proud.
"Now I'm moving into the hotel business and it feels the natural next step. I've always been inspired by my grandfather and how he grew this huge empire from nothing. It's something I look up to."
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