Former Playboy twins describe 'traumatic' time in Hugh Hefner's mansion that left them 'suicidal' after they left

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing

A set of Playboy twins have opened up about their 'traumatic' time living with Hugh Hefner, which left them feeling suicidal after they left.

Kristina and Karissa Shannon entered the infamous mansion when they were just 19 in the 00's, and quickly became the millionaire's favourite girlfriends.

There have been plenty of allegations about the Playboy founder since his death in 2017, and the twins are only the latest to accuse Hefner of some pretty poor treatment.

It is well documented that there were plenty of unseen rules in the mansion, such as not being allowed to wear red lipstick, having a 9pm curfew and no other relationships, despite Hefner having as many as seven girlfriends at one point in his life.

Unfortunately, things quickly became traumatic for the teenage girls, as they claim they were forced to have a threesome, contracted chlamydia and Karissa even had an abortion after becoming pregnant with the mogul's child.

Speaking to PEOPLE, they said: "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."

"We had never done a threesome together before, we would never want to," Kristina expressed, as her twin sister added. "And that was our 19th birthday. You're never gonna forget that."

But Karissa added: "Every time I've done it with him, it's assault. For me, it's like rape. He used control mechanisms completely through everything, so I'm happy that I had the abortion."

The twins quickly became some of Hugh Hefner's favourites in the mansion (Denise Truscello/WireImage)

The pair also struggled with bullying and jealousy from the other girls in the mansion, perhaps due to the 'special attention' that Hugh afforded them as twins.

But their religious beliefs soon became a 'problem' and after they lost their faith, it became a very traumatic experience.

They eventually left the mansion in 2010 but struggled with weight gain and substance abuse, with many comparing their struggles with those of Anna Nicole Smith, another ex-Playboy girlfriend who died at just 39 from alcohol and drug abuse.

Kristina said: "Everyone was saying we were going through our 'Anna Nicole phase'. We gained weight. There was alcohol and pills. We were really unhealthy and lost and, even at points, suicidal. We had no one. It was just us, trying to figure it out after losing ourselves."

Hefner passed away in 2017 at the age of 91 (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)

Fortunately, in what was the twins' first real public appearance since a 2022 A&E documentary, they appear to be living healthy and happy lives in Michigan.

They concluded: "We're healing and listening to our inner selves and keeping God first.

"We transformed our mental and now you can physically see how much better we are. It starts from within and it's all really connected. We're excited to work hard, have fun and continue protecting our peace."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.