Louise Glover was once hailed a Playboy “Model of the Year” and was a permanent fixture at the legendary mansion of Hugh Hefner. Nowadays, she resides in a tent on a farm in Reading, England. Her life has surely taken a dive from high-profile popularity into homelessness at 41 years old, but she is determinedly seeking her way out of these dire circumstances.
In her best phase as a model, Glover was part of an exclusive world. She socialized with A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton and spent time in the iconic Playboy Mansion, a synonym for glamour and extravagance.
“It was the best time, like another world,”
says Glover, recalling.
“We had wild parties, and I didn’t even notice it at the time that I got around some of the biggest names in the world.”
But her sparkling lifestyle began to unravel after a health scare in 2010. Glover suffered a heart attack and spent five weeks in the hospital as a result of septicemia brought on by breast implant surgery complications. The experience left her physically weakened, and it began her financial troubles.
“That was a wake-up call,”
she said.
“I had to rethink my life.”
Once better, Glover turned her attention to fitness, rebirthing as a personal trainer and fitness model. For a time, it seemed she was onto something new. She scored sponsorships with major players such as Nike and modeled in campaigns for fitness and lifestyle companies.
“I felt like I was on the up again,”
she said.
“I threw myself into training, and it was going well.”
But as she got older and the modeling opportunities started to dry up, Glover’s situation did indeed get worse. The UK’s economic crisis hit hard, particularly among small businesses like hers. With few clients to afford personal training, promotional work drying up, too; she found herself swimming to stay afloat.
“It’s hard now I’m older,” she said. “The work just isn’t there like it used to be.”
Today, Glover lives in an $80 tent she’s pitched on a farm in rural Reading. Despite everything, she’s in good spirits.
“I’m trying to stay upbeat and just make the most of it,”
she said.
“I need to get myself out of this pickle before winter hits.”
She now calls a tent her home, allowed a small stove to do her cooking and two hot water bottles to keep her warm. Winter is looming, and Glover confesses anxiously:
“I’m scared of winter. I don’t know how I’ll cope if things don’t change soon.”
With no family to lean on – Glover grew up being in foster care – she largely has only herself to lean on in her struggles. But she refuses to resort to means such as adult entertainment, or starting an OnlyFans account, even though many might see it, in her situation, as a quick fix.
“I got too much respect for myself for that,”
she said.
“I ain’t never going back to that world.”
Instead, Glover is dog-walking and training a few fitness clients to make ends meet. She’s trying to rebuild her personal training business, but competition is tough and the financial squeeze is beginning to bite hard.
Looking back, Glover acknowledges her life has been a rollercoaster.
“I had everything once in my life: fame, money, and the good life. But sometimes, life takes an instant turn. Just that fast, from the mountain top, one is struggling to make ends meet.”
Still, Glover finds moments of tranquillity in her current lifestyle.
“There have been really magic moments, like lying back and watching the stars from my tent. In some ways, I feel calmer because there’s less to worry about.”
She is determined this is only temporary.
“My luck will change soon,”
she says optimistically.
“I’m working hard, and I know things will turn around.”
