Karissa and Kristina Shannon, former Playboy twins, have shared their experiences and the ‘trauma’ they faced while residing in Hugh Hefner’s notorious mansion.
Since Hefner’s passing in 2017 at the age of 91, numerous women have come forward to discuss their experiences with the magazine magnate and life at the Playboy Mansion.
Holly Madison, Hefner’s former girlfriend, described life in the mansion as similar to living in a ‘cult,’ while Kendra Wilkinson mentioned that her relationship with the Playboy founder led to ‘a little bit of a sex problem’.
Karissa and Kristina Shannon became well-known during the final two seasons of “Girls Next Door,” which depicted Hefner’s life with his three girlfriends: Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson.
Now 35 years old, the twins were just 19 when they moved into the Playboy Mansion.
They recently discussed their experiences in the famed Hollywood residence in an interview with People magazine.
Karissa explained, “It was such a culture shock for us. We literally … We didn’t grow up with a young mother, so we didn’t know about hair and makeup. We didn’t know much about fashion or style. And we’re a lot younger than Bridget, Kendra and Holly – we’re teenagers.”
Kristina continued, “We were literally just teenagers. We were all natural. We didn’t have fake teeth. We didn’t have fake boobs like the other girls or fake hair. We just walked around with natural faces over tan because we were always in the sun in Florida.
“We got a lot of jealousy from the other Playmates because we were twins. We were the first twins to each get our own months, which made Playboy history. We were the youngest Playmates and the youngest girlfriends.”
Kristina also mentioned that they quickly realized ‘what they show on TV and on the show was a 100 percent different from what was going on behind the scenes’.
Karissa reflected on their time at Playboy, as noted by People, after spending three years in and out of the mansion.
“We always say Playboy will always be a part of our lives. We were Playboy fans and we still are Playboy fans. Even though it turned out to be very traumatic for us, there were also a lot of high points,” she said.
Kristina added, “It’s even in the way we were born. We know we were born three months premature … When we were born, we actually weren’t breathing. Our lungs weren’t fully developed.”
“We’ve had to fight for our lives, our whole lives. We came from a lot of trauma. We’re trauma bonded,” Karissa acknowledged.
In seeking a healthier lifestyle, the twins concluded that leaving Los Angeles was the best decision for them.
“Kristina and I decided to move. We didn’t know where to go, so we decided to go back to where we were born and leave LA,” Karissa shared.
“We sold the beauty salon we owned at the time, and said, ‘Let’s get the hell out of here and live a simple life. Let’s just start healing’. “
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