Loni Willison had a life many women would be envious of! Married to a Hollywood star and at the same time, a regular face on the covers of fitness magazines.
But her seemingly picture-perfect life wasn’t what it seemed. Per The Sun, the former model is living on the streets of Los Angeles.
In short, she’s no longer the cheerful blonde she was in the good old days.
Eyebrows were raised high when her shocking new photos this week showed her dragging a large cart filled with her possessions, with a swollen red eye, a cigarette in her mouth and missing many teeth.
Report has it that she has been homeless for several years now, as she was previously seen digging through trash cans for food.
This followed The photos highlight the model’s
She suffered a tragic rapid decline after a messy divorce from ‘Baywatch’ actor Jeremy Jackson nine years ago, after which she abused drugs and alcohol.
She lost her job and home, and she refused help too.
Trying to be brave two years ago, she once claimed that she makes herself look as dirty as possible to avoid sexual abuse on the street.
‘I can live on my own. I have everything I need right here,’ she told British tabloid The Sun.
‘Nobody really cares about me and I don’t want to see them, they don’t want to see me.’
Good Old Days
When Loni and Jeremy got married on a California beach in 2012, dressed in white and surrounded by their white dog, the pair looked like Hollywood’s best couple.
Jeremy from California, now 42, had found fame as Hobie Buchanan, the son of lifeguard David Hasselhoff in ‘Mitch,’ at the age of 11 and played the role until the age of 18, leaving in 1999.
Loni, also from California, was the stunning model who graced the cover of fitness magazines in sportswear and swimwear.
Rounds of red carpet appearances followed and they appeared madly in love with each other.
But then…
Jeremy, a former child star, already had a history of drug addiction, which had begun during his time as a teenager on ‘Baywatch.’
He had been arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine at age 19, had spent 90 days in jail for possession, and had completed five stints in rehab.
While from the outside they seemed like the perfect couple, the picture behind closed doors was less rosy.
The marriage would fall into alcohol-fueled arguments and, in August 2014, police were called to their home after Jeremy allegedly assaulted Loni.
She later claimed he beat her, leaving her with two broken ribs, a bruised neck and scratches on her face and body, but she decided not to press charges.
THE TRAGIC RAPID DECLINE
The pair split shortly after the alleged attack, which she only discovered after her ex entered the Celebrity Big Brother house a year later, in 2015.
But this signaled the beginning of Lon’s mental health problems and downward spiral, leaving her unable to work.
‘It took me over two months to recover properly,’ she said. ‘I ended up quitting my job as a plastic surgeon’s assistant and couldn’t work or get any modeling jobs.’
HER ADDICTION
Her lack of funds caused her to fall into debt and, in 2016, she lost her rental apartment and could no longer afford to keep her car.
Finding herself on the streets, she developed an addiction to crystal methamphetamine and her mental health deteriorated.
In a 2018 interview, she claimed to have been electrocuted in her previous apartment and said she believed her body was so charged with electricity that it was a danger to others.
Loni claimed that living on the streets was ‘survival of the fittest’ and she hadn’t showered for over a year in an attempt to avoid the abuse.
‘I get robbed all the time. People take my stuff,’ she said. ‘I basically make myself as dirty as possible so no one will attack me.’
‘The dirtier I am, the better. Even if I smell bad. If I do those two things, it seems to work.’
‘NO’ TO HELP
After she was first photographed sleeping under a shopping cart, Loni’s model friend Kristin Rossetti tracked her down and put her up in a hotel for the night, giving her fresh clothes and a hot meal.
But after talking all night, Loni rejected her friend’s offer to pay for rehab and ran away, disappearing for two years and leaving friends worried about her safety.
‘Loni desperately needs our help, she needs to be off the road and taken care of,’ Kristen said at the time.
‘It makes me very sad, but you can’t force someone to accept your help, they have to want to help themselves.’
Loni finally reappeared in October 2020, digging through trash cans near Venice Beach to find clothing and food.
This time, her appearance has been ruined by drug addiction and she has lost several teeth…she was just yards from celebrity mansions, including Ben Affleck’s five million pound home.
Tragic photos last year showed Loni eating a pizza she found in a trash can and sharing it with a nearby squirrel.
While Loni is still struggling with her drug addictions, her ex-husband is managing to stay clean.
