For years, the Playboy Mansion was one of the most talked-about addresses in the world. From A-list celebrities and Hollywood stars to glamorous parties that became the stuff of legend, countless stories have been told about life inside Hugh Hefner's famous home. But former Playboy Playmate Colleen Shannon insists the reality was far more laid-back than people might imagine.
The model and DJ, who became Playboy's 50th Anniversary Playmate, spent years around Hefner during the height of the magazine's fame and says the late founder was always a gentleman. Colleen, 48, told the Daily Star: "He was so personable. Very much like a gentleman. I was really passionate about my career and he was just amazing. He was a great guy."
Colleen was made into a big Playboy star. She became one of Playboy's most recognisable faces after landing her dream photoshoot combining her two biggest passions – modelling and DJing. The success opened the doors to a world few people ever got to see. "It was such a great time to be doing Playboy," she said. "It was the 50th anniversary. I remember Anna Nicole Smith was there, Pamela Anderson was there. It was just such a great time."
The Mansion itself was every bit as surreal as its reputation suggested. "There was the grotto, which was like an underground pool where everybody went and did whatever they wanted to do. Then there was the bar by the grotto," she recalled. "You'd order a drink and Owen Wilson would be standing next to you. Then you'd go and take a Jell-O shot with Bill Maher. It was just crazy."
According to Colleen, entry into the famous parties was tightly controlled. "Girls had to send their pictures in. They had to be approved. It was definitely invite-only."
One of Hefner's favourite traditions was his weekly movie nights. "He had Sunday movie nights where maybe 30 or 40 people would come and watch a film," she said. Despite becoming part of Playboy's inner circle, Colleen insists she never wanted to become one of Hefner's girlfriends. In fact, when he personally invited her to move into the Mansion, she turned him down immediately. "Hef was basically asking me to move in and become a girlfriend," she previously revealed. "He said, 'I've got a room for you at the mansion.'" Her response was simple. "No." At the time, Colleen was focused on building her own career and had no intention of relying on Playboy fame. "My integrity was like, nope. I'm not doing it."
Instead, she threw herself into DJing, under the stage name World's Sexiest DJ and performed around the globe. She later appeared on Celebrity Love Island alongside Bianca Gascoigne, Paul Danan and Dennis Rodman, becoming a familiar face to British reality TV fans.
Looking back, Colleen says the Playboy years gave her memories she'll never forget. From rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty to partying inside the world's most famous mansion, she saw a side of Playboy that few people ever experienced. And despite all the myths surrounding Hugh Hefner, she insists the man behind the Mansion was very different to the image many people had of him. "He was amazing," she said. "He really was a great guy."
