Paris Hilton's mum spills the beans on her eldest daughter and how they both keep grounded despite the media attention.

Aware my heart was beating faster than usual, I dialled Kathy Hilton's personal landline in Bel Air with some trepidation.

As the phone rang, I conjured up images of the Hilton matriarch sat up high on some kind of elaborate throne, ordering around servants at her feet. And then she answers.

"Hello, this is Kathy," says a soft voice and I knew instantly I'd judged this book by her media-tainted cover. Feeling somewhat sheepish, I cringed as I over-exaggerated my readiness to wait while the 50-year-old switched phones to guarantee a secure line.

"Sorry about that dear," she says sincerely when she returned. "Now tell me all about Dubai."

No uncomfortable, sweaty palms necessary: talking to Kathy Hilton was like talking to my own mother.

And while I had almost convinced myself - or secretly hoped, as it was 2am local time, 1pm in LA - that the conversation would be short, sharp and 100 per cent business-as-usual, I instead found myself cross-legged on my bedroom floor chatting about one of the world's most-watched women, to her own mum.

"Paris is the kind of girl who tries desperately to keep a stiff upper lip," Kathy says as if talking to her girlfriends over coffee.

"She tries to hold everything together and be strong. But once in a while - and it really doesn't happen very often - she breaks down and cries. I can feel it coming sometimes when people are hurting her feelings, and she sobs to the point she can barely breathe.

"The world can be such a cruel place and Paris has had to develop a hard shell. People are unkind and she has had to find a way of dealing with that.

"It's not as easy as people think. You either ignore it so as not to draw any more attention to the situation, [because] you can end up alerting people who hadn't even read the first rumours or lies to the second story.

"Or you have to nip it in the bud and deal with it. It is so frustrating and it's hard to see her suffer. It's a catch-22 situation."

Living just five minutes down the road from her eldest daughter, Kathy takes obvious comfort from the strong network of family and friends surrounding her brood. "She has made some unfortunate calls at times and we have been there for her. 'We'll be over in five,' we say," she adds, and the words seem to comfort her from the inside out.

I imagine her scrunching up her face in the way only mothers can when thinking of their little ones.

"We hug and talk her through it and let her know we are here. I think sometimes people forget she is just a human being, we all are. She has feelings too."

So time to talk business? You'd think so, and it's clear she wants to. "I really want to get my vision across for my line of products in the Middle East. It's such an exciting part of the world and I plan to look into a number of business opportunities."

But as quickly as I've started picturing American dollar bills and the faces of former presidents which grace them, Hilton was back in "mother" mode.

"Mum, I love my board shorts," shouts a little voice down the line. "Conrad, I'm on the phone and it's rude to interrupt," Kathy retorts with a giggle.

Her over-excited youngest son had returned home from school and was tearing open a gift from his mother's recent trip to France. She tries hard to refocus on the task at hand, but clearly her priorities lie with her children.

"I knew you'd love the colour Con," she says. "Do you like them? And yes, I'm sure they'll fit," she adds, as if reading the 15-year-old's mind.

Now rather intrigued by her business plans for the UAE, I push the question again. "I've been curious about Dubai for such a long time now. I have many friends who have visited for weddings and birthdays and have come home just raving about the place. So, I am so excited to be making my first trip."

Clearly filled with excitement, Kathy's questions begin to creep in. These include: "What's the airline like? Is the shopping really as good as they say? And how hot is it now, will I cope?"

At this point I sigh and accept this interview has no chance of going where it was first intended - in the business pages. Because while I'm certain Hilton is an A-class businesswoman, her heart will always remain well and truly with her offspring. "It's great timing - although I would have preferred to come when it was a bit cooler - but I am pleased we will be there to support Paris.

"She is just having a ball. She loves it and says the people are being so kind. She called on Sunday and asked for her daddy, to wish him a happy Father's Day.

"She misses us so much and we miss her too. She was always a daddy's girl, but on Sunday it was nice to hear her say she was missing me too.

"She will always be my little baby girl - that will never change."

At age 15, Kathy met Rick, then 19, and the two were married within four years. "We've all grown up together," she says when asked what keeps Paris strong.

"We are an extremely tight family unit which is something which is so important. I think it gives Paris and her sister and brothers such a sense of security.

"We are all dealt a certain deck of cards and there really isn't much you can do about it. But having a secure family around you can get you through anything."

It was when the secrets started coming I knew this mother was worth her weight in gold. "Paris was the sweetest little thing. She was a daddy's girl, but also a tomboy," she said.

"She always wanted to be a veterinarian and her favourite movie was The Little Mermaid, which she would watch over and over.

"Halloween was her best holiday and she'd have me picking out her costume in September. One year it was a long red wig and green dress, which were all worn out by the time October 31 came around. The skirt had snags in it, the wig was all knotted - but she didn't care as long as it looked good from the front because that was all she saw. Adorable."

Keeping the brood happy is always on Kathy's mind.

"I wanted to bring Tinkerbell [Paris' dog] over to surprise her, but she found out and said it would be too hot."

So what's the hardest thing about being Paris' mum?

"Having to share so much of her isn't easy," Kathy says, with less enthusiasm than before.

"Everybody wants to be around her from the media to fans and it's hard to take a back seat sometimes.

"I try and encourage her to stop and smell the roses. I encourage her to see the beauty while she's working in these wonderful places, to go to museums and visit the places. I remind her to enjoy her life too."

Values, morals and a sense of reality have not escaped Kathy. Expecting her to bombard me with abuse with a mention of the word paparazzi, I was pleasantly surprised. "If you are in the public eye, you have to accept the public own you to some extent and deal with it. If you don't like it - stay at home."

For the first time, I began to envy whoever will become Paris Hilton's Best Friend Forever. Not for the fame, the fortune and opportunities it may present, but for the chance to spend time with a woman who seems to have the balance of life perfectly in tune.

"I used to be somewhat judgemental. I've since learnt," Kathy says, reminding me of the judging I did while dialling her number.

"Don't make judgement calls until you've walked in someone else's shoes for a day. I believe in bad karma for people who do this."

Source: http://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/parishilton/main_story/10325703.html