‘Nightmare became reality’: Perez Hilton’s sister gives harrowing account of witnessing incident

The sister of Perez Hilton has shared her account of witnessing what happened on the day he shared a shocking livestream video self-harming. The celebrity blogger remains in hospital, and it is believed he has long-term injuries and a significant recovery ahead.

In the video he shared, Perez Hilton, real name Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, could be seen with a knife, making cuts to his body and face. It’s since been reported that he now has extensive injuries, has lost a significant amount of blood, and could be hospitalised for months.

In a former statement, Perez’s family confirmed his sister and children had been in the house with him in the moments before the video went live. Now, his sister has spoken out about what that was like, and what she saw.

*This article contains graphic details of injury that some may find upsetting.*

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“August 4th will forever be one of the darkest days my family and I have ever experienced,” sister Barbara Lavandeira told Page Six of the day. “That afternoon, Mario was in his bedroom with the door closed and locked, which wasn’t like him. His door was almost always open.”

She continued: “When I knocked, he said he was fine, but I could barely hear him. After I knocked a few more times and asked him to open the door, he stopped responding. I tried calling his cellphone in case he couldn’t hear me, but he wouldn’t answer. Something just felt wrong.

“I unlocked his bedroom door and realised 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.”

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Barbara only then realised something extremely wrong was going on, and she saw her brother. “When I opened the door, my nightmare became a reality,” she said. “Mario was standing in front of the shower, naked, cut up, covered in blood, with a box cutter in his hand.

“What I can say with certainty is that I didn’t recognise 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 explained she then fled the house, and took Hilton’s three children with her. Once they were safe, she called 911. “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.

“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.”

Barbara told the publication a lot more happened, but she didn’t feel comfortable sharing as it is still “too painful, graphic and overwhelming.”

She added: “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.”

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is out there. Speak with somebody today, in confidence, by calling Samaritans on 116 123 or visit the website. Calls are taken 24-hours a day. 

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