Criminal Justice

Hilton’s Mystery Illness Revealed

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Paris Hilton has allayed the speculation over the mystery illness that led to a brief release from jail.

Hilton told Larry King in a broadcast interview last night that she suffered from panic attacks due to claustrophobia. Meditation and reading the Bible helped her cope with the “really traumatic experience.”

Hilton also maintained that she didn’t have a drinking problem and has never taken drugs, the Los Angeles Times emphasizes in its story, which deemed the interview “less than revealing.”

The New York Times called Hilton’s interview “stilted and scripted,” citing inspirational observations from prison writing that sounded rehearsed. “I have a new outlook on life,” she told King. “Don’t serve the time; let the time serve you.”

The New York Times noted that King caught Hilton in a follow-up question after she said she read the Bible every day while incarcerated. What is your favorite passage? King asked. Hilton hesitated, looked down at her notes, and then acknowledged she had no favorite.

Hilton had also emphasized the comfort she received from religion in an interview with People Magazine.

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