WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT
Perez Hilton’s sister shared a heartbreaking first-hand account of the gossip blogger’s suicide attempt in an emotional interview with Page Six.
“August 4th will forever be one of the darkest days my family and I have ever experienced,” Barbara Lavandeira shared to Page Six exclusively in a phone call on Wednesday, referring to the evening Hilton livestreamed acts of self-harm on TikTok before being transported to a nearby hospital for life-saving treatment.
“That afternoon, Mario was in his bedroom with the door closed and locked, which wasn’t like him. His door was almost always open,” Barbara shared of Hilton, who she calls by his real name, Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.
Hilton, 48, stopped responding to her when she tried to check in, prompting Barbara, who was visiting from California, to become concerned.
“When I knocked, he said he was fine, but I could barely hear him,” she said. “After I knocked a few more times and asked him to open the door, he stopped responding. I tried calling his cell phone in case he couldn’t hear me, but he wouldn’t answer. Something just felt wrong.
“I unlocked his bedroom door and realized he was inside the bathroom. I knocked several more times and told him I was going to come in if he didn’t open the door. He still didn’t answer, so I unlocked it.”
Barbara then recounted the devastating moment she realized something was terribly wrong as she came face-to-face with her brother.
“When I opened the door, my nightmare became a reality,” Barbara bravely shared. “Mario was standing in front of the shower, naked, cut up, covered in blood, with a box cutter in his hand.”
It was a moment she will never be able to erase from her memory.
“What I can say with certainty is that I didn’t recognize my brother when I looked at him. I saw it in his eyes. They didn’t look the same. Then, a split second later, he smiled at me. It felt like I was staring at someone else,” she shared.
In a total panic, Barbara fled the bathroom and quickly led his three children — Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8 — out of the house.
“I left the room, grabbed the car keys, and yelled for the kids to run to the car. Thankfully, our mom wasn’t home at the time, and I was able to get everyone out quickly,” she said.
Once the children were safely in the car, Barbara dialed 911.
“The first call I made was to the police. Then I messaged my best friend, who lives nearby, while I was on with dispatch, and asked her to please come get the kids and take them away from the scene,” she said.
While “much more happened” in the hours that followed, Barbara, who has an extremely close relationship with her older brother, said she is going to “leave out many of the specific details” because “they’re too painful, graphic, and overwhelming.”
As we know, Hilton left loved ones and fans horrified when he livestreamed acts of self-harm on TikTok live.
Barbara continued to Page Six, “Eventually, I was able to go back into the house while I waited for the ambulance and place towels over Mario to help stop the bleeding. He had already lost a significant amount of blood, yet he was somehow still able to speak, although his voice was very faint.
“The ambulance took him to the hospital, and I stayed behind to speak with the crisis team that arrived.”
Barbara explained why she bravely chose to open up to Page Six about the harrowing details of that horrific day.
“I’ve debated for the past few days whether I should say anything personally,” she said. “Mario has always been an open book. He’s a public personality and someone who has shared so much of his life online.”
She added, “As his younger sister, I’m the opposite. I’m a very private person, and although I’ve worked with him for many years, I’ve always stayed behind the scenes.”
As the “only person who witnessed what happened from the beginning to the end,” Barbara said, she feels she is the only person who can “offer some clarity” since “so much has happened.”
“I’m talking now for everyone who cares about him and has been sending their best wishes, but also because of all the rumors, false reporting, fake exclusives, and made-up quotes going around,” she said. “I can only share what I personally witnessed and experienced, but I want people to hear directly from someone who was actually there.”
Barbara took a moment to shut down the misconceptions about Hilton’s character, sharing that he is not the same person he was more than a decade ago when he launched his controversial website.
“The comments calling this ‘karma’ have been especially painful. I wouldn’t wish what my mother, Mario’s children, or our entire family is experiencing on anyone,” Barbara said.
Barbara understands that “some people don’t like” Hilton, while others “even hate him.”
“Mario has publicly acknowledged the harm he caused earlier in his career,” she said. “In 2010, he went on network television and admitted that the outings, doodles, and other things he did were wrong, and he has apologized repeatedly.”
Barbara pleaded with the public for some respect as her family navigates this difficult situation.
“I’m not asking anyone to forget or excuse any of that. I also understand that some people will always believe he hasn’t done enough, despite his efforts,” she said.
She continued, “I’m simply asking people to recognize that he has changed tremendously over the past 20 years and has genuinely tried to become a better person.
“I don’t believe someone should be reduced forever to the worst things they did in their past, especially when they’ve admitted the harm and genuinely tried to grow.
“Whatever anyone thinks about Mario, his children and our mother are innocent. They shouldn’t be punished or tormented because of how people feel about him.”
Sources previously told Page Six that his close circle is concerned that Hilton’s recent battle with sepsis may have triggered his mental health scare.
In March, the entertainment personality was hospitalized for three weeks after taking flu medication on an empty stomach. Hilton said he “developed an ulcer and then a perforation and then sepsis.”
“My stupidity landed me in the hospital for 21 days. It was the worst and best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he shared in a YouTube video at the time.
Hilton was back in the hospital a month later when a “massive” blood clot prompted the need for emergency surgery.
On top of his sepsis and blood clot, he has also been having trouble adjusting after moving from Las Vegas to Miami in June.
Additionally, we’re told he has been struggling financially to pay his health bills.
Hilton’s mom filed for temporary custody of his three children on Aug. 7 as he continues to receive medical care.
Barbara also told Page Six that she is grateful to Hilton’s loving fans who have supported her brother throughout his career and during this difficult time.
“What I can say on behalf of our family is that we’re deeply grateful for every kind message, prayer, and expression of genuine concern,” she said. “The support has meant more to us than I can properly express.”
For further updates about Perez Hilton from his family, please go to perezhilton.com
If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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