Loana Petrucciani, best known for starring in the French edition of reality show Big Brother, has sadly been found dead at her home aged just 48. Lorna was found at her home in Nice, France, and an investigation has now been opened to find out the cause of her death. Prosecutor Damien Martinelli said she had been dead for "several days" by the time her body was found.
She made headlines in 2001 when she entered the Loft Story house – the French version of Big Brother. Contestants spend 10 weeks in the house under constant surveillance, and Lorna soon went pre-social media viral for having sex in the show's swimming pool, knowing she would be captured on camera.
Responding to the news of her death, TV network M6 said: "An iconic figure of the first season of Loft Story, she will forever remain a personality who profoundly marked an entire generation of viewers."
Banijay France CEO Alexia Laroche-Joubert, who runs the production company behind Loft Story, also paid tribute, saying: "It is with immense emotion that I learned of Loana's passing.
"Our paths crossed 25 years ago, and I am honoured to have shared so many memories with her. I witnessed her successes and her struggles.
"My thoughts are, of course, with her mother, Violette, her daughter, her brother, and the other housemates who were part of this adventure. Let us never forget that behind her public image was a sensitive and extremely intelligent woman."
Loft Story presenter Benjamin Castaldi added: "There are some faces we never forget. And hers, Loana's, is part of our collective history.
"Thought we would watch a show. In fact, we were witnessing a revolution. The first one. The truth. The one that changed television forever... and maybe also our view on humans. Loana was not a character. She was a woman. A real one. With its cracks, its sweetness, its fragility in the open sky. And that's precisely why we loved it."
Sadly, in 2010 Lorna attempted suicide and was left in a coma. Her friends and family sadly discovered it was not the first time she had attempted to take her own life.
If you have been affected by this story, you can contact the Samaritans, call 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit https://www.samaritans.org/
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