Former porn star who was raised in ultra-strict CHRISTIAN home achieves her ‘dream’ of covering PLAYBOY magazine – as she bares all for racy shoot: ‘I feel very proud’

A woman raised in an ultra-strict conservative Christian community has achieved her lifelong dream of covering Playboy magazine.

Sapphire Howell, 27, who previously worked as a porn star under the name Elsa Jean, graced the cover of the April issue of Playboy Mexico.

‘Appearing on the cover of Playboy was always my dream. “I am very proud to have a brand and an image that allowed me to be there,” she said in a statement.

The blonde bombshell previously appeared in the Winter 2020 issue of Playboy US and is a member of The Playboy Club, the brand’s answer to OnlyFans.

She still produces X-rated content on OnlyFans, but officially retired from the mainstream porn industry in 2021 after contracting an illness while filming a group sex scene with four different men.

For her Playboy cover shoot, Sapphire left little to the imagination in lacy white lingerie

“I felt like my health was in danger,” she told the newspaper Holly Randall unfiltered podcast.

“I worked for a company and they lied to me about the tests and I ended up getting a treatable STD, but it still traumatized me so much that I was lied to,” she added.

For her Playboy cover shoot, Sapphire left little to the imagination in lacy white lingerie.

Her low-cut bra could barely contain her cleavage as she posed provocatively for the image.

Sapphire grew up in the conservative Christian community in North Canton, Ohio, before moving to New York and finding fame in the adult industry – under the name Elsa Jean.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com last August, the former porn star explained how her childhood struggles gave her the ‘drive’ to become famous and amass her current fortune.

Reflecting on her “pretty strict” upbringing, Sapphire explained: “I grew up Mennonite and that’s a pretty strict Christian religion… It was quite religious, but my mother is also the only person in the family who was open. So I got the cool mom who said, “Do whatever you want.”

‘Appearing on the cover of Playboy was always my dream. “I am very proud to have a brand and an image that allowed me to be there,” she said in a statement

The model struggled to contain her cleavage as she posed next to the pool

The model, who once performed under the name Elsa Jean, wore a plunging dress

“I saw all my other family members really sticking to (the religion). And that just wouldn’t happen for my family.”

Sapphire then added, “If I were in a very captive religious environment like most people, it would have been a lot harder for me to change my mind.”

The blonde beauty started modeling for Playboy in 2018 as Elsa Jean and quickly became a favorite when she was named Playboy Muse of the Month in July 2019 and Playboy All Star of the Month in January 2022.

Before landing at Playboy, she worked as a stripper in Washington, DC, when she transitioned to adult films in 2015 at the age of 18.

After years of making release content.

Sapphire grew up in the conservative Christian community in North Canton, Ohio, before moving to New York and finding fame in the porn industry

In November 2022, she officially retired from the porn industry and continued to focus on making her money through OnlyFans and by minting NFTs (non-fungible tokens) – making her more than $30,000 in just one month sold.

“My mother struggled with mental illness and we just grew up in poverty, so I got a job at 15. My drive has always been to survive and provide for my family, and that has really helped me through my career,” she says. explained.

‘I want people to know that I didn’t just do it because I felt like it. I did it to survive.’

Despite their difficulties, Sapphire revealed that she has remained close to her mother and sisters, who have supported her throughout her provocative career.

“I don’t really talk to anyone else,” she admitted.

‘They love me for me. They find everything I do exciting. I come from a small town where nothing really exciting happens, so they are very helpful.”