I hit X-rated stardom – after latest death, what life in porn is REALLY like… & sick ‘paedo’ moment that made me snap

WATCHED by hundreds of millions every day, porn promises its spectators instant short-term satisfaction – while leaving those in front of the camera with long-lasting consequences. After losing several adult actress pals to suicide, a former high-profile porn star has lifted the lid on the dark side of the X-rated industry – from its predatory “e-pimps” to the disturbing cycle of increasingly extreme content. Brittni de la Mora, stage name Jenna Presley, is a former porn star turned preacher Credit: Alamy Hana Kuraki’s death earlier this month is being treated as a suicide, Japanese police say Credit: hana_kuraki87/Instagram This week, popular Japanese adult actress Hana Kuraki was found dead in a suspected suicide aged 25. But the painful truth is that her death is hardly surprising, and just the latest in a long list of stars with the same fate, former adult actress Brittni de la Mora says. The ex-performer has lost countless close industry friends to suicide in recent years, including Kagney Linn Karter, 37, Jesse Jane, 43, and Raven Bay, 30. Brittni tells The Sun: “I’ve lost more friends than I can count at this point, it’s really devastating… the list goes on and on.” The former porn star, who now runs a Christian non-profit organisation, also tried to take her own life. “I didn’t honestly think that I would live past 25,” she said. “I thought there was gonna come a day where I would have just ended my life because the weight the burden and the toll that was on my soul.” Brittni shot her first X-rated film when she was 18. Jesse Jane was found dead in 2024 after a drug overdose Credit: Getty Adult Actress August Ames died by suicide in 2018 Credit: @msmaplefever : Instagram She later became addicted to drugs like crystal meth, heroin and cocaine – a tragic downward spiral shared by countless performers in the scene. In 2018, the porn industry was rocked by the deaths of five young women in the space of just three months. Shyla Stylez, August Ames, Yurizan Beltran, Olivia Nova and Olivia Lua all lost their lives within weeks of each other – either from suicide, drug overdoses or unexplained reasons. A long list of high-profile performers who survived their experience in adult entertainment have also slammed it. Mia Khalifa, one of the world’s most famous porn stars, has previously blasted the industry and called it “predatory”. She claimed she was only paid roughly £8,000 for about three months of work, despite being one of the most- watched porn stars of all time. And OnlyFans star Nala Ray – one of the platform’s former top creators who claims she made £10million – is now an outspoken critic of porn. She left the industry after what she described as a spiritual awakening and is now a Christian activist, much like Brittni. Brittni was left with drug-induced psychosis during her time in porn Credit: Alamy Brittni left the industry in 2012 and now helps others struggling actresses or those suffering from addiction Credit: Supplied Porn has left a deadly trail of horrific scandals across the globe, with Japan – where Kuraki was found dead last week – among the worst countries affected. The Asian nation was plagued by controversy in the 2010s as it emerged scouts had been signing up young women with shady contracts under the guise of modelling before forcing them to shoot pornographic material. Brittni says actresses today still describe to her how terrible their mental health is. And she also warned the porn industry has become more predatory with the onset of new platforms such as OnlyFans. Although at first glance it appears to give more power to creators – it has also removed guardrails for women, she says. “It’s gotten worse because of OnlyFans, it has opened the door for thousands upon thousands more women and men being able to enter the industry,” Brittni added. Earlier this year, it was revealed how OnlyFans creators were being threatened by controlling agents who took around half their earnings while abusing them, according to a BBC investigation. One model told the outlet she was locked out of her social media accounts by her agents who changed passwords. How to get help EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858 Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk HUMEN www.wearehumen.org Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393 Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123 Brittni’s close friend Kagney Linn Karter died by suicide two years ago Credit: Getty At one point, masked men appeared at her home and threw bricks through her window. An OnlyFans spokesperson said the claims their platform “turns a blind eye” were “unfounded”, and that they took user safety “incredibly seriously”. Brittni said: “OnlyFans agencies are really rising up, they’re really just digital pimps. “They’re promising these women that they’re gonna make them a bunch of money, but then they take more money than the women even make.” She also detailed the abuse some agencies put their models through. One of her agents, who she says she was not abused by, was jailed recently after it was revealed he was forcing employees into prostitution by blackmailing them. He threatened to fire models and shut them out from the business if they did not agree to the twisted scheme. Brittni also warned there is still a terrifying lack of protection from sexually transmitted infections in today’s porn industry. When she worked in the business, stars were usually required to take tests at least once every 28 days – a method which doesn’t even ensure 100 per cent protection. She is now a married mum-of-two Credit: Supplied Brittni left the porn industry over a decade ago but still sees its effects today Credit: Supplied But with OnlyFans stars now making content at their whim with whoever they want, there is no oversight to stop the spread of diseases. She claimed one of the most popular stars she knew had confessed to her that she wasn’t doing STI checks before shoots. “There’s much less protection now because with OnlyFans… you can do whatever you want… it’s become just this extremely unregulated industry.” She said the modern porn industry is spiralling in a disturbing cycle of extreme content. The advent of social media has brought with it a swathe of creators constantly tussling for the spotlight – while ignoring its potential consequences. “We already see that happening with Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips… it’s almost like they’re in constant competition,” Brittni said. “One says, I’m gonna sleep with 100 guys in a day, and the next is like, well, I’m gonna sleep with 1,000… it’s really about how far can I push these boundaries.” Brittni suffered a range of mental health issues while working in porn. Bonnie Blue is a porn star known for extreme content Credit: Olivia West Lily Phillips is also known for sleeping with dozens of men in videos Credit: instagram/lilyphillip_s Shortly after witnessing her boyfriend being stabbed to death in the streets in an unrelated attack, the actress was diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and began hearing voices. She finally quit porn in 2012 after experiencing what she described as a revelation from God while reading the Bible on a plane. “And when I read that on the aeroplane, I just kind of started crying and I just felt like… I hate the life that I’m living. “I’ve struggled with suicidal thoughts ever since I’ve been in this industry. “My mental health has been on the decline, I have been a drug addict for the last seven years, but not only that, I’m also leading other people into sin, and I’m breaking God’s heart. “I just felt the grace of God come over me that day, and he just said, Brittni, this isn’t the life that I have for you.” Asked whether there was an experience she had which morphed her view on adult entertainment, she said it was when she realised she was encouraging paedophilia. When Brittni was nearly 19, she told her agent she no longer wanted to do types of scenes where she dressed as a young schoolgirl. “I was not much of a woman of conviction at that age, but one day I just thought, wow, I think I’m encouraging paedophilia. “And so I told my agent: ‘Hey, do you realise that these types of scenes are probably making grown men wanna go and and have sex with little girls?’ “I said: ‘I can’t do these types of scenes anymore. I’m done.'” She claimed one of the reasons she had breast implants and tattoos was to avoid looking too young. Brittni, now a happily married mum-of-two, gave a stark warning to any young women thinking of stepping into the world of porn. She said: “You see women like Sophie Rain, they’re like: ‘Oh, look at me on my private jet today, I made $5million this month.’ “But if you really think about this, all of this is only temporary, right? Like you’re basically making permanent decisions in a temporary place.”