PARIS HILTON - PARIS' JAIL TIME 'TRAUMATIC'

PARIS' JAIL TIME 'TRAUMATIC'

Paris Hilton last night described her time in prison as a "pretty traumatic" experience, in the first broadcast interview given by the hotel heiress following her release.

Speaking to CNN chat show host Larry King, the 26-year-old socialite said that letters of support from fans had helped her cope with being incarcerated.

Hilton, who described being strip-searched in jail as the "most humiliating experience of my life" revealed that she suffered from anxiety and panic attacks during her time in the slammer.

Concern over Hilton's mental state had prompted Los Angeles county sheriff Lee Baca to release the star to house arrest part way through her sentence, but a subsequent furore over the decision later landed her back in jail.

"He thought it'd be better for everybody if I just went home," Hilton said.

The Simple Life star, who was released on Tuesday, served 23 days in jail for driving on a license that had been suspended following a previous alcohol-related reckless driving conviction.

Asked whether she thought she had got a "raw deal" over her punishment, Hilton replied that she had and said she was shocked when judges ordered that she be sentenced to jail as her lawyers had predicted that she would get community service.

But the notorious party girl suggested that life in jail had changed her for the better, revealing her hopes of becoming involved in charity work and plans to cut back on wild nights out.

"I'm frankly sick of it," Hilton said.

"I've been going out for a long time now, and yeah, it's fun, but it's not going to be the mainstay of my life anymore, she added.