Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live in the famed Playboy Mansion aka Hugh Hefner’s lair? You’ve heard so much about the riches, the parties, and the so-called fairy tales – but one ex-girlfriend of Hugh Hefner’s begs to differ.
Holly Madison dated Hugh Hefner from 2003 – 2008. Although she was never officially a Playboy Playmate, she was the subject of a Playboy “Cyber Girl of the Week” pictorial on the magazine’s website in 2003.
She also appeared on the cover and inside of the November 2005 issue of Playboy, along with co-stars Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson, as part of a special pictorial promoting “The Girls Next Door”. The women were featured again on the covers of the September 2006, March 2008, and February 2009 issues.
In February 2009, she quit working for the company altogether due to the split from Hugh Hefner making her position “awkward”.
In August 2012, Holly announced that she and Pasquale Rotella, whom she began dating in 2011, were expecting their first child together. Pasquela is also known as the founder of Insomniac Events, organiser of a number of major dance music festivals, including its flagship Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), along with other events such as Beyond Wonderland and Nocturnal Wonderland.
Holly gave birth to their daughter, Rainbow Aurora Rotella, on 5th March 5 2013 in Las Vegas. After which, Pasquela proposed to her officially on a Ferris Wheel during EDC in Las Vegas.
Holly Madison and Pasquela Rotella were married at Disneyland on 10th September 2013.
Now, she’s ready to reveal that life inside Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion was not what it seemed. In her memoir, titled, “Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny”, Holly talks betrayal, drama, darkness, bad bunnies, depression, and a backstabbing galore.
As revealed by Harper Collins, Holly spills the details about the realities of being one of Hugh Hefner’s live-in girlfriends. To quote the release, “Life inside the notorious Mansion wasn’t a dream at all—and quickly became her nightmare. After losing her identity, her sense of self-worth, and her hope for the future, Holly found herself sitting alone in a bathtub contemplating suicide.”
The publisher also promises to detail the “oppressive routine of strict rules, manipulation, and her battles with ambitious, backstabbing bunnies”.
Full synopsis is as follows:
The shocking, never-before-told story of the bizarre world inside the legendary Playboy Mansion—and, finally, the secret truth about the man who holds the key—from one of the few people who truly knows: Hef’s former #1 girlfriend and star of The Girls Next Door
A spontaneous decision at age twenty-one transformed small-town Oregon girl Holly Sue Cullen into Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner’s #1 girlfriend. But like Alice’s journey into Wonderland, after Holly plunged down the rabbit hole, what seemed like a fairytale life inside the Playboy Mansion—including A-list celebrity parties and her own #1-rated television show for four years—quickly devolved into an oppressive routine of strict rules, manipulation, and battles with ambitious, backstabbing bunnies. Life inside the notorious Mansion wasn’t a dream at all—and quickly became her nightmare. After losing her identity, her sense of self-worth, and her hope for the future, Holly found herself sitting alone in a bathtub contemplating suicide.
But instead of ending her life, Holly chose to take charge of it.
The shockingly candid memoir will also give insights on the drugs, the sex, the abuse, and Holly’s real behind-the-scenes life with Bridget, Kendra, and, of course, Mr. Playboy himself.
Needless to say, it will take as much courage to read it as it took Holly to finally pen down her experiences.
“Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny” is slated for a 23rd June release.
Sources, Us Weekly, Harper Collins, Holly Madison Wikipedia, Daily Mail UK.
