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After graduating high school early, I decided to move to Los Angeles. I was only 17 but I wanted to experience something new and exciting before starting university. My parents were dubious at first, but eventually I won them over and they agreed to let me move to the city.
I belonged to a management agency which was renting Bella Thorne's home, meaning I could stay there for free with a group of other influencers. I planned to make a living by content creating on social media and eventually I moved to the city in January 2020.
I loved watching her Disney Channel show, Shake It Up, when I was growing up. It was such a surreal experience walking into her home for the first time.
Moving Into a Celebrity Mansion
When she moved out, she left lots of her possessions behind. There were designer clothes, bags, awards and even memorabilia from previous TV shows she had worked on.
Her closet was amazing, we called it the "model closet" because we would try on clothes she had left behind and film ourselves wearing them. I don't think Bella would have cared, it seemed everything she left behind, she no longer wanted.
I never expected Bella to have such a creative mind. Her entire house is filled with incredible art. The real estate agent told me that when she moved in, she took two months of leave from work to decorate everything herself.
Every inch of the house was painted and everything was different colors; the kitchen cabinets were covered in glitter. It seemed to me that the house was really representative of her whole creative, colorful persona.
I think we share a similar passion for reading, writing and art. There were so many books everywhere and the walls were lined with posters from old movies and TV shows. She had this amazing furry red closet with a sculpture of a rose, which was bigger than my entire body. The house featured so many interesting pieces and trinkets. I really loved living there.
Meeting Bella Thorne's Mom
Bella owned the house, but she's a very busy woman. So, her mom, Tamara, would manage the property. Tamara was an amazing person. When she came to check in on us, she was always so warm and energetic. She always had a smile on her face.
She was really caring, patient and understood that there were a bunch of teenagers living in the house, so it may not always look perfect. I loved chatting with her when she came to visit. She was a really kind woman.
Leaving Los Angeles And Travelling The U.S.
Unfortunately, after a clash with my management, I left the home in July 2020. I considered moving back in with my parents, however I felt that wasn't a viable option. They are wonderful people, but the situation is complex.
Instead, I moved into a friend's apartment in the city. I really enjoyed living in Los Angeles, but at 17, I found it could be quite a toxic place. I was trying to make a name for myself and would audition to feature in various music videos.
I experienced a lot of sexual harassment; producers who asked for sexual favours in exchange for jobs and then told me to leave when I refused. It was terrible and something I know has happened to many other young women in the industry.
I also realized that when I was living in a big mansion, everyone wanted to come over and see it, take pictures and film there. But after leaving, it became clear to me that many "friends'' were using me because of where I was living at the time. That was a really hard lesson to learn at such a young age.
So, I decided to spend some time traveling around the United States. My dad is a pilot so I was able to fly to different cities across the country every few days; I visited Miami; Palm Coast; Orlando, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New York City, San Diego, Oregon and San Francisco. I was just traveling non-stop.
Moving Back To Bella Thorne's Mansion
I was still in contact with Tamara; we had been texting after I moved out and in August 2020, she asked what my next move would be. When I said that I had no plan, I'd just been traveling around the country for a while, she asked whether I wanted to move back to her daughter's house in Los Angeles.
Nobody was living there and Tamara needed help packing up the house before the property was sold. She said I could move in for free if I helped out with boxing up and selling Bella's stuff.
After living in the mansion with a bunch of other people, it was amazing being there by myself. I was so appreciative of Tamara for the opportunity. Things had been difficult for me for a while, so it felt like good karma.
While I was living in the mansion alone, I would begin my day by working out, packing up some of Bella's possessions into boxes, organizing the garage ahead of the sale and then making some content for social media. I usually ended the day by seeing some friends for dinner.
Bella's mom was even cool with me having friends over, so often they would come to the house and we would just hang out. It was a very chill month. I had been through a lot emotionally, so it was nice to have some order.
Tamara was happy for me to keep some of the things Bella had left behind. I'm a big reader and so kept some of her books, including a copy of Beautiful Creatures. I found some polaroid photos and plane tickets which she had used as bookmarks, which I also took home with me. I also kept a red cowboy hat and some matching boots.
Leaving The Los Angeles Mansion For Arizona
Living in the house definitely inspired the way my own apartment looks now. It features lots of different things I have collected from around the world and is decorated with some old records which Bella had painted.
I'm currently taking a year off from my studies at the University of Arizona to travel to Germany. Tamara had initially asked me to stay and become her assistant, but I wanted to go off and do my own thing for a while. I love reading and writing and eventually want to become a professor of cultural studies.
Bella would come over to the house while I was living there, but I never spoke to her; I found it too nerve racking. However I grew pretty close with Tamara during the time I spent in the house. I think Bella is really lucky to have a mom like her. We text every once in a while, but I still appreciate everything she did for me.
Rachel Turner, 20, currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. She is planning to take a year abroad in Germany to write a novel. You can follow her TikTok @rachelturner_ or Instagram @rachelturner4
All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
As told to Monica Greep.
