Kim Kardashian West‘s returned to the City of Love this week forParis Fashion Week, marking her first time in the city since she was robbed at gunpoint almost two years ago — and she has come a long way.
On Oct. 3, 2016, theKeeping Up with the Kardashiansstar wasrobbed at gunpointat theNo Address Hotelduring Paris Fashion Week, whenmasked menstolemillions of dollars worth of jewelryfrom her in the middle of the night — including a$4 million ring. (For more on the incident, here’severything you need to know.)
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In the 12 months since, Kardashian West has undergone a mental and physical transformation, celebrated career milestones and confirmed that she’s expecting herthird childwith husbandKanye West. Here’s a look back at how she rebuilt her life over the course of a challenging, eventful year.
Spotlight Shutdown
“She has zero desire to resume her old life,” a sourcetold PEOPLE. “She’s still figuring out what she wants to do. Her whole life has basically changed. Before, she was like a social butterfly — now she’s much more withdrawn.”
The star remained hunkered down at home in Los Angeles, spending time with West, 40, and their two kids: daughterNorth, 4, and sonSaint, 1, with sources telling PEOPLE that Kardashian West would only leave her house “for overnight visits with the kids toKris [Jenner]‘s and for important appointments.”
“The only ‘positive’ thing about the robbery is that Kim changed pace,” a sourcetold PEOPLEat the time. “Instead of working nonstop, her life has slowed down significantly. She seems happy about this.”
“She very much likes spending every day with her kids,” the source added. “In the past, it was very hard for her to be away from her kids for work. Now she gets to wake up with her kidsandgo to sleep with her kids.”
Ringing in her 36th birthday just 18 days after the heist, Kardashian West kept things extremely low-key — a noticeable departure from her usual lavish celebrations. While she was scheduled to ring in the birthday at Las Vegas’ Hakkasan Nightclub, she canceled the appearance and stayed home with her family.
FilmingKUWTKResumes
Three weeks after the robbery, production officially resumed on the family’s reality show, and Kardashian West began stepping out in public here and there, either to grab frozen yogurt with friend Jonathan Cheban or to attend one of West’s concerts.
Of her choice to step back in front ofKUWTKcameras,sources told PEOPLE Kardashian West did take a break from filming directly after the robbery but gradually resumed a few weeks later — though it wasn’t due to any pressure from her famous siblings.
“No one is pressuring her,” one insider said. “She has the best support from her family.”
Her First Public Appearance
Sources told PEOPLE the incident “scared everyone” in the Kardashian/Jenner orbit.
“They’re not taking chances,” one insider said. “It was a really scary situation for the entire family, and it’s just not worth it to put themselves out there unnecessarily. When something like this happens, everything changes. It changes the whole family — how and where they travel.”
By mid-November, Kardashian West began planning to re-emerge into the public eye “slowly,” according to sources. To mark her first public appearance since the robbery, she selected the2016 Angel Ball— which honored her late father Robert Kardashian, who died of esophageal cancer in 2003 — but West’shospitalizationforexhaustionthat same night spurred a change of plans.
Splash News Online
“Kim was very emotional before the trip, and part of it was because she started thinking about the robbery,” a source told PEOPLE. “She’s getting sick of having to relive that awful night and just wants to move on.”
A second insider told PEOPLE the star was “nervous before she left, but says it was the right decision.”
“She was excited to spend time with her fans,” added the source.
Social Media Return
Though her family and friends gradually took over her website and app to share exclusive content, Kardashian West’s Twitter and Instagram accounts remained completely dark for three full months after the robbery.
She officially returned to social media right before the Dubai trip, sharing a family photo of her, West and their two kids, on Instagram on Jan. 3.
She also debuted an heartwarming two-and-a-half-minute video on herwebsite, offering fans a glimpse into life at home with her family. The home video montage included footage shot both before and after the Paris incident.
Lifestyle Changes
The robbery spurred a series of changes in Kardashian West’s life, from her physical appearance to her personal security.
“[She will have] a much heavier security team,” a sourcetold PEOPLE. “There will be a focus on security personnel who aren’t in traditional clothing, and a lot more undercover security.”
One month after the heist, Kardashian West alsoparted wayswith family bodyguard Pascal Duvier, who was under her employment the night of the robbery but happened to be outshadowing her sisters,Kourtney, 37, andKendall, 21, when the intruders broke in.
“Pascal no longer works for Kim and Kanye, but he wasn’t fired,” a source told PEOPLE. “He instead reassigned himself to another family for professional reasons. Pascal thought that he did let down Kim and didn’t do his job properly in Paris. They all agreed that it was better for Kim and Kanye to hire a completely new security team.”
INSTAR
As for her physical appearance? Kardashian West debuted a much more toned-down look than her previous glam self — swapping out hereye-catching diamondsfor amuch more subtle wedding bandand ditching her chainmail and latex dresses in favor ofbaggy t-shirts, sweatpantsand a fresh, contour-free face.
“She’s definitely acting like a new Kim,” a source told PEOPLE. “She wears both minimal makeup and jewelry. The new Kim seems less flashy. It’s like she doesn’t need that now to be happy.”
Working on Her Marriage
“They seem to be doing much better,” a source told PEOPLE in February, adding that Kardashian West seemed “much happier.”
“They’re having fun together again,” the source said. “The struggles that they had for the past few months seem to have mostly past.”
At the time, the source confirmed West was still in therapy and receiving medical help.
“It all seems to be helping him recover,” the source said. “Kim has nothing but great things to say about Kanye.”
Reliving the Terror
Part of Kardashian West’s healing process after the robbery included having torelive the incidentover and over again, especially as French authorities continued tomake major headwayin the case.
Over the course of this year, the star and her family have openly discussed the robbery in several interviews — and on emotional episodes ofKUWTK,which documented the aftermath in great detail.
“Well, we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t,” sisterKhloétold PEOPLEof the family’s decision to include that aspect of their lives on their reality show. “We are so vulnerable and [have opened] up our lives so much in the past that interestingly enough, if we don’t show things fans get really angry — they feel as if that was taken away from them.”
“And I think for Kim, it was maybe therapeutic for her,” she added. “It’s also something that disgustingly happens to a lot of other people, and we always come from a place of honesty.”
Career Milestones
2017 has been an exciting year for Kardashian West professionally: In addition to appearing on aslew of high-profile magazine coversand explanding her line of Kimoji merch, the reality star followe little sisterKylie Jenner‘s lead and launched her own beauty line in June.
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The first product she created, a $48 crème contour and highlight kit, sold out in just three hours, bringing in anestimated $14.4 million. (The kits come in four different shades and include a contour pen, a highlight pen and a double-ended blending brush.)
She has since expanded the line with the launch ofpowder highlighter and contour kits.
Seeing the Silver Lining
Kardashian West has often reflected on how her harrowing experience turned her into a “different person.”
“It was probably no secret, you see it on the show — me being flashy — but I was definitely materialistic before,” she toldEllen DeGeneresin April. “Not that there’s anything bad about having things and working hard to get those things — and I’m really proud of everyone that’s around me that’s successful. But I’m so happy that my kids get this me. And that this is who is raising my kids. Because I just don’t care about that stuff anymore, I really don’t.”
“I know this sounds crazy, but I know that was meant to happen to me,” she continued. “I don’t want to start crying, but … I’m such a different person. I really feel like things happen in your life to teach you things.”
Expanding the Family
She and West welcomed daughterChicagoon Jan. 15., and the mom of three spoke about how North and Saint are adapting to their new sibling during a recent visit toThe Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“Heloves his little sister. He’s so sweet with her. I always have to watch out for him — he smothers her, and he has this really big hair so he just jumps in her crib,” she said of her son.
As for North? “She’s better than she was with Saint,” Kardashian West shares of how her oldest child is taking to being a big sister for a second time.
source: people.com
