Actor Kelly LeBrock has explained how she has decided to become a ‘hermit’ after suddenly quitting Hollywood.
LeBrock, 63, was a huge name in the 80s after rising to fame with roles in Weird Science and The Woman in Red, where she played idealised versions of women – leading her to be dubbed one of the sexiest women in the world.
After a brief hiatus, she returned to the screen in 1990 in Hard to Kill, starring alongside then-husband Steven Seagal, before further appearances in the likes of Betrayal of the Dove, Tracks of a Killer, Hard Bounty, Wrongfully Accused, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Zerophilia, and Gamers: The Movie.
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But despite being in huge demand throughout the 80s and 90s, she became something of a self-identifying ‘hermit’.
Speaking to the Daily Mail back in 2013, she said: "I admit, I became a hermit. When I split with Steven, the divorce was very ugly, and details of the case were on the evening news.
“I didn’t want my kids seeing it, so I simply got rid of the TV.
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"I moved my kids out of L.A. so they could grow up with real people - the kids of gas pump attendants, plumbers and real family people.”
LeBrock ended up moving to a ranch in rural California not only to protect her kids from the media hysteria, but also to try and deal with her low confidence.
She continued: “I had absolutely no self-esteem. I hated myself.
"I decided to swap my old life in Beverly Hills for a new one in the country, in Santa Barbara.”
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While her new life saw her surrounded by dangerous animals, she said they didn’t compare to ‘untrustworthy’ people she’d come across before.
“There are mountain lions – one ate four of my goats,” LeBrock said.
“There are also black bears and rattlesnakes. But I’m not afraid.
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"You know where you stand with animals. You don’t in the city with people. It’s not as trustworthy."
Speaking about her simpler, self-sufficient lifestyle, she added: "I grow all my veggies and make my own cheese and yogurt. It’s bloody exhausting!
“To work the land full time keeps me so fit that I haven’t worked out in seven years. I clean the pool myself, muck out the pigs and the horses.
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"Sometimes I sleep three nights in a row outside with no tent, just under the stars. Just me and my horse. It brings me closer to the earth.”
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV
Jess Hardiman