Pregnant Tila Tequlia Says Her Baby Saved Her, Child's Father Is Revealed
Tila Tequila is opening up about her pregnancy as the child's father speaks out for the first time.
After many "traumatic" years in the spotlight, Tequila reportedly says she's finally healed and is overjoyed to be welcoming her first child.
"It has been quite a painful journey for me, and I never thought I was going to make it out alive. So to be able to do a total 180 and finally be blessed with my first child gets me so emotional that I can barely even handle it," Tequila, 32, revealed during an April 24 interview with Us Weekly. "I truly feel that my baby has saved my life, and I will do whatever it takes to give my little baby the whole entire world!"
In 2002, Tequila moved to Los Angeles and began modeling for magazines, including Playboy, Stuff, Maxim, Blender, and Penthouse. In 2007, she starred in her first reality series, A Shot At Love, where 16 males and 16 females competed to win her heart. A year later, the second season premiered. Although Tequila didn't find love on-screen, she did find love in Los Angeles with troubled heiress Casey Johnson and the two became engaged in Dec. 2009. One month later, Johnson tragically died after reportedly failing to take her diabetes medication.
In Feb. 2012, tragedy nearly stuck again when Tequila suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm, which her roommate credited to an "attempted suicide." According to the roommate, Tequila had reportedly took two bottles of pills. Following the incident, Tequila checked herself into rehab for substance abuse and psychological issues.
After rehab, Tequila kept a low profile until April 18, when she surfaced on Facebook to announce that she was 10 weeks pregnant with her first child.
"I never knew such a love like this could exist, but I guess motherhood can truly change some people," Tequila said of her pregnancy. "I know it has definitely changed me, and I'm already thinking about having more. I just want my baby to be proud of me and to know how much I love him or her."
Also on April 24, Radar Online revealed Tequila's child's father was Thomas Paxton Whitaker, a 42-year-old musician from Georgia, who is also the father of three other children.
"Tila is right around 10 weeks into her pregnancy, and yes ma'am I am the father of her/our baby," Whitaker told the site. "Tila has a wonderful relationship with my daughters Sierra, Jenna, and Brianna...and they love each other very much! We are all very happy about the arrival of a new edition to our family, and about the blessing of the birth of a child into the world."
Tequila has yet to confirm the identity of her child's father.