Former Playboy Playmate Colleen Shannon once rejected Hugh Hefner's invitation to move into the Playboy Mansion, but a single error later sent her to prison. Now 48, she reflects on a life of extraordinary highs, devastating lows, and the incarceration that reshaped everything.
From Hopeful to Playmate
Colleen arrived in Los Angeles as a young model with big dreams. When Playboy launched its search for a 50th anniversary Playmate, she auditioned without makeup on her manager's advice. The gamble paid off, and the magazine combined her two passions—modeling and DJing—into a centrefold shoot featuring turntables.
The exposure transformed her life. She performed globally, modeled, and became one of Playboy's most recognizable faces. During this time, she interacted regularly with Hugh Hefner, who eventually called to offer her a room at the mansion. She declined immediately. "My integrity was like, nope. I'm not doing it," she recalls.
Building a Career
Instead of becoming a girlfriend, Colleen focused on DJing under the stage name 'World's Sexiest DJ.' She appeared on Celebrity Love Island in 2006 alongside Bianca Gascoigne and Dennis Rodman. For a while, life seemed perfect.
The Mistake That Changed Everything
In 2012, Colleen helped her Canadian boyfriend, Robert Skojo, enter the United States despite his legal restrictions. She pleaded guilty to illegally transporting an alien and received a four-month prison sentence plus a $5,000 fine. "I was so in love with this guy. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong," she says.
The timing was devastating. She had DJ gigs in Vietnam, Brazil, and other countries, but travel restrictions grounded her for years. "That five-minute mistake screwed up everything," she adds.
Life Behind Bars
Prison humbled her. Her first job involved recycling men's trash in 50-degree heat. "I was in Beverly Hills last week wearing my Louboutins, and now this," she remembers. She became a yoga teacher and built friendships across racial divides, earning multiple going-away parties.
The experience turned her spiritual. "You have everything, then everything is taken away. All you have is your soul," she reflects.
A New Beginning
The relationship ended after her release. She later reconnected with a boyfriend from age 19, and they now have two children. Colleen continues her DJ career, promotes her children's book I Am DJ Boy, and is writing a memoir titled Playmate to Inmate.
