In July 2017, British model Chloe Ayling traveled to Milan for a photoshoot that promised to launch her career. Instead, it was a trap. Drugged, kidnapped, and held for six days, she became the victim of a terrifying and surreal ordeal. But her nightmare didn’t end with her release; it escalated into a battle for credibility as the public, the press, and even authorities questioned her story.

This chilling dramatization brings the infamous case to life with a powerful ensemble cast. They navigate a complex web of fear, manipulation, and media scrutiny, exploring the harrowing experience of a woman who had to fight not just for her freedom, but for her truth to be heard.

---

Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story cast explained

1- Nadia Parkes as CHLOE AYLING

Nadia Parkes (The Spanish Princess, Doctor Who) delivers a career-defining performance, embodying Chloe Ayling’s terrifying journey from ambition to survival. Parkes captures the dual trauma: the sheer physical terror of being bound and held in a suitcase, and the psychological torment of not being believed. Her performance is a masterclass in vulnerability and resilience.

Parkes portrays Chloe’s transformation with stunning nuance. We see the initial naivete of a young model chasing a dream, which hardens into sharp, survivalist cunning during captivity, and finally fractures into exhausted defiance upon her return to a skeptical world. It’s a heartbreaking and empowering portrait of a woman reclaiming her narrative.

2- Julian Swiezewski as LUKASZ PAWEL HERBA (aka “MD”)

Julian Swiezewski takes on the role of Lukasz Herba, the architect of this bizarre crime. Swiezewski avoids cartoonish villainy, instead crafting a character who is chilling in his delusional grandiosity. He plays Herba as a man who believes his own twisted fantasy—that he is a “black widow” auctioning a victim for the European slave trade—making his actions all the more unpredictable and terrifying.

The actor captures the captor’s unsettling duality: one moment calculating and menacing, the next almost forming a warped connection with his victim. His performance is key to understanding the strange, psychological power dynamics that made the case so confounding to outsiders.

3- Lorenzo Richelmy as FRANCESCO PESCE

Lorenzo Richelmy (Marco Polo) plays Italian detective Francesco Pesce, one of the first officers to whom Chloe reported her ordeal. Richelmy brings a grounded, procedural intensity to the role, representing the initial wave of official skepticism that Chloe faced. His performance charts the journey from doubt to dogged determination as the evidence mounts.

4- Robert Glenister as PIERS MORGAN

In a piece of perfectly meta-casting, Robert Glenister (Hustle, The English) embodies the formidable and controversial media personality Piers Morgan. Glenister doesn’t just imitate; he captures the essence of a powerful figure whose public skepticism on his talk show, Good Morning Britain, fueled widespread doubt and intensified Chloe’s secondary trauma. His scenes are a potent commentary on trial by media.

5- Nigel Lindsay & Adrian Edmondson as THE LEGAL TEAM

Nigel Lindsay (Four Lions, Victoria) plays Adrian Sington, the no-nonsense lawyer fighting for Chloe in the UK. Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones, Ade Edmondson’s Bad News) takes on the role of Phil Green, another key legal advisor. Together, they represent the arduous battle for justice, not just in an Italian courtroom, but in the court of public opinion. Their performances are filled with a weary determination.

6- Sergio Romano as PROSECUTOR STORARI

Sergio Romano brings gravitas to the role of the Italian prosecutor building the case against Herba. He represents the slow-turning wheels of justice and the legal complexities of extraditing and trying a criminal whose defense was as outlandish as the crime itself.

7- Christine Tremarco as BEA (Chloe’s Mother)

Christine Tremarco (Waterloo Road, The Walk-In) delivers a powerful performance as Chloe’s mother, Bea. She is the emotional anchor of the story, portraying a parent’s worst nightmare with raw, gut-wrenching authenticity. Her fierce, unwavering belief in her daughter stands in stark contrast to the public skepticism, providing the story’s emotional core.

8- Olive Gray as AMBER & Eleonora Romandini as NICOLETTA

Olive Gray (Halo, Save Me) plays Amber, likely a friend or support figure for Chloe in the UK. Eleonora Romandini portrays Nicoletta, a potential character within the Italian context of the story. They represent the personal network surrounding Chloe, caught between offering support and grappling with their own doubts and fears.

9- Emmanuele Aita as GIANLUCA

Emmanuele Aita appears as Gianluca, another key figure in the Italian investigation or the criminal circle. His role adds another layer to the web of characters Chloe and the police must navigate to uncover the truth.

Her story was stranger than fiction. Her fight for the truth was all too real.
Experience the gripping dramatization of Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story on AMC+, August 28, 2025.