Mia Khalifa issued warning to young women about getting into adult industry during honest interview
Mia Khalifa has plenty of experience to draw upon when it comes to the adult industry, business and rubbing shoulders with stars.
And if anyone's got a right to get on their soapbox about how the reality of being an X-rated star isn't all it's cracked up to be, it's her - as she's been through the wringer throughout her career, despite only doing three months in porn.
For starters, she's still dealing with the repercussions from that controversial scene where she sported a hijab, which she claims led to her receiving death threats from ISIS as well as essentially being blacklisted from the Middle East.
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Although Khalifa - real name Sarah Joe Chamoun - hasn't received anything 'official' from any countries informing her she is not welcome, she revealed that she was been warned not to chance a trip there.
During a recent appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the 31-year-old said: "I’ve spoken to a lot of security agencies, and their recommendation is that I don’t go [to the Middle East].
"Just going to Marrakesh two years ago was a really scary experience, and it wasn’t because of the city.
"It was at the airport - being followed to the gate and having my passport taken away from me and taking a picture [of her passport] with their iPhone - that’s what makes you feel unsafe."
And seen as though she earned just $12,000 (£9,140) for her short stint in porn, her alleged vulnerability in some corners of the world has a high price to pay.
As well as discussing her ADHD, autism and OCD diagnoses with TV titan Louis Theroux, the model opened up about how her decision to embark on that career path is something which wreaked havoc on her mental health.
Looking back on her 21-year-old self, Khalifa confessed that in hindsight, she was far too young to do what she did.
But she wants to use her somewhat negative experience to inform other young women about the ripple-effect entering the porn world can have on their entire life - while warning that bigwigs in the industry will prey on their naivety.
The OnlyFans star told Theroux: "When you're 19, 20, 21 years old, 18, most of the time, that's what they're hoping for - you don't know what you're going to want for your life or what you want out of your life.
"You don't even know yourself that young. You should not make life-changing decisions when you're that young."
Otherwise, you might end up needing nearly a decade of therapy, like the Lebanese-born influencer did.
Khalifa continued: "The reason I used to have a lot of trouble talking about it is because I was extremely clouded by shame.
"I used to have a visceral reaction to even hearing the name Mia and knowing that if someone is calling me by that name, they are seeing me in a way that I don’t want to be seen in.
"But that had a lot more to do with my mental health than it does about the bigger picture of things. I think that nine years of therapy is a lot and it's not because of what I went through in the industry.
"It’s what I had to go through to get to a point in my life where I feel like I am of a healthy state of mind to make decisions in my life.
"And that's how long it took me to make those decisions that are so life-changing."
Topics: Adult Industry, Jobs, Louis Theroux, Mental Health, Mia Khalifa, Celebrity
Olivia Burke