TWIN sisters Karissa and Kristina Shannon thought they found their ticket to stardom at the age of 18 when they were plucked out of obscurity and joined the illustrious stars of Playboy.
However, now 34, the stars have opened up about how their lives were nothing like they expected them to be – detailed tragic details hidden from the public eye.
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The duo, who were born in Clearwater Beach, Florida, moved from their trailer park home into the Playboy mansion in 2008.
They soon became cast members of reality series The Girls Next Door, which tracked life of the women who were then 83-year-old Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends.
Karissa and Kristina also held joint centrefold spreads.
Karissa and Kristina have both since claimed they were “groomed” by Hefner, who died in 2017 at the age of 91, and compare their time at the mansion to "being in a cult".
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The pair believed they wouldn’t be sleeping with Hefner, despite being called his girlfriend, believing it to be an image that wouldn’t be realistic due to his age.
In one instance, recalled in A&E docu-series Secrets Of Playboy, the pair said he forced them to engage in a threesome with him at the age of 19, later contracting sexually transmitted infection, chlamydia.
Kristina said in the documentary: “I believe that Hef would prey on the younger girls, like us, who came from a bad background, or the girls who were not so pretty, he could promise him, here's this beautiful castle, and I have all these surgeons.”
Karissa also claimed she an abortion the same year after getting pregnant with Hefner’s baby.
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"I was disgusted with my body and felt like there was an alien inside my stomach. It was like the devil was inside of me," she told cameras.
"I didn't want anyone to know I was carrying an 83-year-old man's child."
I aborted Hugh Hefner’s ‘devil child’ at 19 - I didn’t want anyone to know I was having 83-year-old’s baby
A&E noted in the documentary that 'the vast majority of allegations have not been the subject of criminal investigations or charges, and they do not constitute proof of guilt.'
While they remained his girlfriends, the duo moved out of the mansion in 2010, and said at this time they were both prescribed Xanax for anxiety.
After their time in the Playboy mansion, they came to UK attention in 2012 when they signed up for that year’s series of Celebrity Big Brother, joining the likes of X Factor’s Frankie Cocozza, rapper Romeo, Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen and Towie’s Kirk Norcross.
Charming with their bubbly personas, the pair eventually placed fifth, with Loose Women’s Denise Welch winning that series.
In 2017, the duo were both arrested at their home after a call of a domestic disturbance, which saw Kristina punch Karissa and her sister responding by throwing an ADT security system at her sister.
What actually is anxiety and how can you combat it?
Anxiety is what we feel when we are worried, tense or afraid.
It is a natural human response when we feel under threat, and most people experience it at times.
Anxiety becomes a mental health problem if it impacts your ability to live your life as fully as you want to. For example:
- If your feelings of anxiety are very strong or last a long time
- Your fears or worries are out of proportion to the situation
- You avoid situations that might cause you to feel anxious
- Your worries feel very distressing or are hard to control
- You find it hard to go about your everyday life
- You regularly experience symptoms of anxiety
There are dozens of symptoms of anxiety that can affect the body and the mind.
This can be everything from a churning feeling in your stomach to sleeping problems to feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down.
Around one in 10 people in the UK have anxiety at any one time.
There are various treatments available, including self-help resources, talking therapies, and medication.
Some of the most well-documented ways of combating anxiety are:
- Talking about your feelings - whether that's with friends, family members, health professionals or a counsellor
- Calming breathing exercises - like breathing in for four seconds, holding for five, and breathing out for six
- Exercise - like running, walking, swimming and yoga to help you relax
- Managing your worries - this could be setting aside specific time to focus on your worries or writing them down and keeping them in a designated place
- Medication - including antidepressants, pregabalin, beta-blockers or benzodiazepine tranquillisers
- Improving how you sleep - like ensuring your bedroom is comfortable, dark and quiet, and not doing anything too stimulating before you go to bed
- Eating a healthy diet - including regular meals to keep energy levels stable
- Peer support groups - from local ones to online communities
- Listening to free mental wellbeing audio guides
- Cognitive behavioural therapy - online or in-person
- Applied relaxation therapy - which involves learning how to relax your muscles in situations when you normally experience anxiety
- Alternative therapies and techniques like meditation, aromatherapy, massage, reflexology, herbal treatments, Bach flower remedies and hypnotherapy
If you struggling with anxiety, speak to your GP or call Mind's infoline on 0300 123 3393.
Karissa was charged with a felony after the security monitor knocked out teeth.
In late 2018, Karissa and Kristina both launched a career as p*rnstars.
Now, the pair own a beauty parlour, GLAM Beverly Hills, in Los Angeles together.
They've both said they are dealing with PTSD from their time in the Playboy Mansion, with Karissa adding: "I don't think that that part is ever gonna go away, that part of us that was taken.
Kristina added: "We can't emotionally connect like that."
In September 2023, it was reported by RadarOnline that the pair went to rehab together for prescription pill addiction.
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“The twins are getting sober off all medications so that we can have children and move onto their next chapter in life," an insider added.
"They still have so many traumas they have to work through and it's hard but right now feels like the right time to deal with it."
GETTING HELP:
If you think that you have a drug addiction then please contact your GP.
You can also visit FRANK for honest information about drugs and to find local treatment services.
If you are having trouble finding the right help, call the FRANK drugs helpline on 03001236600
Or click here to visit the NHS website for more advice and support
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