Loni Willison was once a booming model – posing for well-known fitness magazines and walking the red carpet at glamorous events alongside her then-husband, Jeremy Jackson. But a mere seven years later, the former star’s life is far cry from what it once was.
Loni, 39, is now homeless and living on the streets of LA – with nothing except the few piles of clothes that can fit in her shopping cart and the scarce items that she can uncover while digging through the trash.
The former model was recently photographed rummaging through the dumpster in search of food while donning dirty and disheveled clothes and concealing her buzzed hair underneath an old rugged cap – certainly a vast transformation from the blonde bombshell that once graced the cover of numerous publications.
So how did she go from a popular Hollywood starlet who was married to a successful actor to a recluse who has to forage through people’s garbage to find something to eat?
Loni Willison was once a booming model – posing for well-known magazines and walking the red carpet at glamorous events alongside her then-husband, Jeremy Jackson (seen in 2012)
But a mere seven years later, the former star’s life is far cry from what it once was. Loni, 39, is now homeless and living on the streets of LA. She is seen earlier this week
From how she found fame and married the popular actor to how she ultimately lost it all – take a look back at Loni’s rollercoaster-ride journey. She is seen left in 2015 and right in 2018
Loni’s life seemed to fall apart following her tumultuous relationship with Jeremy, who is best known for starring as Hobie Buchannon in the beloved show Baywatch. The two married in 2012, and while on the outside it seemed like their romance was picture perfect, Loni later claimed that Jeremy was physically abusive behind closed doors.
She alleged that their marriage was secretly filled with explosive drunken rows and nasty physical altercations that left her fearing for her life and suffering from multiple broken bones.
After leaving the TV hunk in 2014, Loni not only said goodbye to him, but also to the life of glittering celebrity parties and lavish VIP treatment that she once knew – and completely fell off the grid.
And when she re-emerged nearly four years later – she was practically unrecognizable. Her luscious blonde locks were all cut off, her closet full of designer clothes was long gone, and she had lost her spacious LA abode.
At the time, she spoke to DailyMail.com about her downfall, revealing that she suffered from a mental break in 2016 and started to believe that someone was sending electrical currents into her body – which could only be fixed by taking crystal meth.
Since then, Loni has eschewed all attempts from family and friends to get her help, insisting that she’s ‘doing just fine’ and that she ‘has everything she needs’ on the streets.
As shocking new photos of the once-successful model hit the web, FEMAIL went ahead and recapped her rise and descend from grace. From how she found fame and married the popular actor to how she ultimately lost it all – take a look back at Loni’s rollercoaster-ride journey.
Loni and Jeremy’s tumultuous relationship: While it seemed picture perfect on the outside, after they split in 2014, the model claimed the actor strangled and beat her during the marriage
Loni, born on May 21, 1983, in Hemet, California, was once a booming fitness model who posed for magazines like Glam Fit, Flavour Magazine, and Iron Man Magazine
When she and Jeremy became husband and wife in December 2012 – they tied the knot at a resort in Laguna Beach, California – everything seemed picture perfect from the outside
The couple appeared as happy as could be together – they were often seen packing on the PDA and attending glamorous red carpet events and parties side by side
Loni, born on May 21, 1983, in Hemet, California, was once a booming fitness model who posed for magazines like Glam Fit, Flavour Magazine, and Iron Man Magazine.
But her life fell apart in the 2010s. She went through a divorce, lost her job, and ultimately her home after suffering from mental health issues and an addiction to crystal meth – which ultimately left her living on the streets.
When she and Jeremy became husband and wife in December 2012 – they tied the knot at a resort in Laguna Beach, California – everything seemed picture perfect from the outside.
The couple appeared as happy as could be together – they were often seen packing on the PDA and attending glamorous red carpet events and parties side by side.
But Loni later claimed that Jeremy was abusive during their marriage. The pair officially ended their relationship in 2014 – and after going their separate ways, the now 39-year-old started making a series of bombshell allegations about her ex.
She first spoke out against him in 2015, after the former Baywatch star was booted from Celebrity Big Brother in the UK for exposing fellow housemate Chloe Goodman’s breast.
At the time, Loni encouraged Chloe to press charges against Jeremy, while admitting that she regretted not taking her own experiences with him to the police.
She claimed he once tried to strangle her and that he smashed their TV with beer bottles – and she even said she had recordings to prove it.
But Loni later claimed that Jeremy was abusive during their marriage. After they split in 2014, she claimed he once strangled and beat her, leaving her with multiple broken bones
Police confirmed to DailyMail.com that a domestic disturbance call was placed from the couple’s LA home in August 2014. Loni (seen with Jeremy) opted not to press charges
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire division confirmed to DailyMail.com that a domestic disturbance call was placed from the couple’s LA home in August 2014.
The incident reportedly left her with two broken ribs, an injured neck, and scratches on her face and body. However, the case was dropped after Loni opted not to press charges.
She told The Sun in 2015, ‘I didn’t report him when he attacked me because I was scared. I was in a bad place emotionally and I didn’t want Jeremy to go to jail.
‘But after all this I think I should have – maybe then I could have stopped Chloe having to go through that.
‘I’m not surprised this happened – I know what Jeremy is like. At least now everyone can see what I had to put up with.’
DailyMail.com obtained a sound recording of the alleged attack, in which Loni was heard screaming in terror as Jeremy seemingly beat her.
The former model said she began recording the argument because she wanted to prove he was acting ‘crazy.’
The day before the attack, Loni also claimed that he sent her a chilling, 12-minute rap song that he wrote for her via email, in which he announced he ‘wanted to kill her.’
Jeremy has faced his own problems since leaving Baywatch. He struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and he went on to be arrested in 2015 for stabbing a different woman during an argument.
He struck a plea deal, and a judge sentenced him to 270 days in LA County Jail and five years probation.
Loni’s fall from grace: How she went from a successful model to living on the streets – after suffering from a mental breakdown, becoming convinced that electrical currents were ‘torturing’ her and the only that could save her was crystal meth
In 2018, it was revealed that she had become homeless – after DailyMail.com obtained photos of her rummaging through the trash in LA
Days later, she sat down with DailyMail.com to discuss her fall from grace – revealing how everything in her life crumbled after she had a breakdown in 2016
Following Loni’s shocking admissions about her romance with Jeremy, she pretty much fell off the grid.
She said that she believed that a strange electrical current, which was coming into her apartment and ‘torturing’ her, was to blame for all of her problems
For three years, no one saw or heard from the once-successful model, but in 2018, it was revealed that she had become homeless – after DailyMail.com obtained photos of her rummaging through the trash in LA.
Days later, she sat down with DailyMail.com to discuss her fall from grace – revealing how everything in her life crumbled after she had a breakdown in 2016.
At the time, she said she was working as an assistant at a cosmetic surgery center in LA, but was fired after she started to suffer from mental health issues.
She said that she believed that a strange electrical current, which was coming into her apartment and ‘torturing’ her, was to blame for all of her problems.
‘I was getting tortured in my home, my apartment,’ Loni explained. ‘I was living by myself but I was getting electrocuted.
‘It was really bad, really horrible. I later found a red mark on the back of my neck and I think that was how the electricity was getting into my head.’
After losing her job, she struggled to pay her rent and was ultimately booted from her apartment, forcing her to take to the streets
At the time, DailyMail.com found her asleep under a shopping cart on a busy stretch of Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood
Her arms, legs, toes and fingernails were black with dirt, and she had multiple open wounds and injuries on her body
After losing her job, she struggled to pay her rent and was ultimately booted from her apartment, forcing her to take to the streets.
At the time, DailyMail.com found her asleep under a shopping cart on a busy stretch of Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.
She told DailyMail.com that she hadn’t showered in a year – but that she was purposely keeping herself as dirty as possible to prevent being assaulted or raped
Her arms, legs, toes and fingernails were black with dirt, and she had multiple open wounds and injuries on her body.
She told DailyMail.com that she hadn’t showered in a year – but that she was purposely keeping herself as dirty as possible to prevent being assaulted or raped.
‘I get robbed. I get robbed all the time. People take my stuff,’ she said. ‘Basically on the streets, you’re around people who are doing anything just to get by and if they see something that you have that will help them they’re just going to take it.
‘It’s a survival of the fittest thing. I basically make myself as dirty as possible so that no one attacks me.
‘The dirtier I am the better. Smelly, too, but I’m not too smelly right now. If I do those two things, that seems to work.
‘I cut off my hair, too, to look different. I cut it myself. But I have been attacked, that’s bound to happen, too.’
Loni also said that her body was still full of electricity and that the currents could potentially wreak havoc across California if she didn’t take crystal meth to keep it at ease
She also said at the time that she had tried rehab ‘before’ but that it ‘didn’t work for her.’ She added: ‘I need some help. Yes, I do want to get off the street. I want a new life’
Loni also said that her body was still full of electricity and that the currents could potentially wreak havoc across California if she didn’t take crystal meth to keep it at ease.
When asked why she didn’t turn to her loved ones for help, she explained, ‘Everyone I talked to at the time seemed really strange.
‘I struggled to get across to them what I was talking about, even really simple things, so I just stopped talking to everybody.
‘It just wasn’t getting me anywhere and I was only getting more frustrated. I haven’t had any contact with family or friends recently. All the s**t that’s happened to me has been so f**king crazy.’
When it came to her ex Jeremy, she said they were not in contact but that she ‘saw him once outside her apartment when she was starting to get tortured’ – however, Loni added that ‘the next second ‘ he turned ‘invisible.’
She also said at the time that she had tried rehab ‘before’ but that it ‘didn’t work for her.’
‘I’ve got so much to figure out to get off the streets, I need some help,’ she added. ‘Yes, I do want to get off the street. I want a new life.’
Refusing help: Despite her pleas, Loni turned down offers of free treatment, and insisted she is ‘doing just fine’ and has ‘everything she needs’ on the streets
Following DailyMail.com’s article, drug rehab specialist Larry Marinelli offered to help Loni for free. However, despite her please for help, Loni (seen in January 2021) declined
Afriend of hers told DailyMail.com that her response was, ‘I just want to get high. I need to get high, no one is listening to me. I need to get out of here’
Following DailyMail.com’s article, drug rehab specialist Larry Marinelli offered to help Loni for free.
He laid out a treatment plan for her and even secured her a bed in Victory Detox Center in North Hollywood – a drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation facility.
However, despite her please for help, Loni declined, with a friend of hers telling DailyMail.com that her response was, ‘I just want to get high. I need to get high, no one is listening to me. I need to get out of here.’
After that, two years went by without a trace of Loni, however, in October 2020, she resurfaced for the first time when she was photographed pushing a shopping cart full of her belongings around the streets of Venice Beach.
In 2020, she told The Sun that she was ‘doing just fine’ and insisted she ‘didn’t want anyone to help her’.’ She is seen in January 2021
Since then, she has been spotted sporadically picking through dumpsters or walking the streets of LA alone. She’s pictured in January 2021
At the time, she told The Sun that she was ‘doing just fine’ and insisted she ‘didn’t want anyone to help her.’
‘I haven’t spoken to Jeremy. I don’t want to speak to my friends, I’m doing just fine. I don’t want anyone to help me,’ she told the outlet.
She insisted that she ‘can live on her own’ and that she has ‘everything she needs right there’ in Venice Beach.
‘I haven’t got a cell phone. I’ve got food and I’ve got a place to sleep. I get money here and there and there’s food in the bins and near the stores. There’s lots here,’ she added.
‘Nobody really cares about me and I don’t want to see them, they don’t want to see me.’
Since then, she has been spotted sporadically picking through dumpsters or walking the streets of LA alone.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk