Chapter 32
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Entertainment & Arts
REALITY STAR LEE PERKINS EMERGES IN GREEK MYSTERY
Appears disheveled and emotional at press conference in Athens, Greece
By Helena Chen Entertainment Reporter
Lee Perkins, whose raw struggle with manic depression made One of You to Love Me must-watch reality TV, has surfaced in Athens, Greece, searching for her missing sister, and sources say the story behind the disappearance is raising eyebrows.
Perkins, 43, whose public breakdown during her show’s final season drew record ratings, appeared disheveled at a police press conference yesterday in central Athens. Her sister, Regan Willingham, is reportedly missing in Greece.
“Lee is completely focused on her family during this crisis,” says her agent, Francine Bloom. “Although she’s being courted for several prestigious projects, her only concern is finding her sister.”
Adding another layer of Hollywood intrigue, Perkins’s ex-boyfriend Jason O’Brien has just been cast as Lord Byron in Ben Morris’s biopic, Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know. O’Brien, who dated Perkins before her reality show debut, was contacted at his Hollywood Hills home but declined to comment.
“The whole thing is pretty wild,” says an industry insider. “Lee was famous for baring her soul on TV, and now her sister’s missing in a foreign country. It’s like reality TV came to life.”
Greek authorities declined to comment on an ongoing investigation.