The tragic life and shock death of a porn star: How Sophie Anderson went from innocent schoolgirl dreaming of acting fame while bringing up her sister after her mum walked out on them – but lost herself in deadly world of massage parlours and online sex

At the age of five, this was perhaps the one heartbreaking moment that forever shaped the life of tragic porn actress Sophie Anderson.

Born in Bristol, where her hard-working father owned several houses, she had lived in a stereotypical middle-class family with her sister and mother.

But one day in 1992, her world fell apart forever when the close, loving unit was torn apart.

Sophie's mother announced that she was leaving them and their home.

It turned their lives upside down and the model, who died on Monday aged 36, later said she thought it was 'because there were other men who were more attractive than me and my sister'.

The split caused her absolute anguish as she later admitted that she had 'worshipped her mother'.

Her wayward parent – ​​now deceased – would come in and out of her life, causing what she described as 'mental abuse'.

It was very different from her father, who Sophie said had done everything he could to support her and her sister as a single parent.

When she was ten, she was enrolled in a local drama school and was tipped for great things. By now, she was essentially raising her younger sister while her father worked around the clock to provide for them.

She described performing as “her saving grace,” as she played different roles for her peers and impressed the adults.

But her happiness would prove to be short-lived.

Her father had met a new partner and the family moved to Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire.

Sophie's mother had managed to gain the right to see her at the weekend and she was going to visit. She had so little money that her father would bring food when he dropped her off.

She said she realized something was wrong when she went one time and there were a number of men waiting at the property. They were pedophiles.

Sophie said in 2022: 'These boys used to really embarrass me about my weight. I was really too heavy for a child.

'I wish these older men would abuse me. I would have to watch my mother have sex. These guys would then make fun of me.

'I can remember parts and they touched me. It was never full sex, it was always touching, otherwise I had to kiss them. She was in the bedroom.

'I think that's why I've never been able to forgive my mother. You let these men in. Now I feel guilty for not having contact with her before she died of cancer.

'My mother would buy me clothes that were much too small. She was anorexic.

'There were little mental things she would do, like put me in front of the mirror and say, look how you are, you're so fat and ugly.

“I didn't like her as a person growing up, but then she died, so I have a lot of guilt there too,” she told James English's Anything Goes podcast.

She said the illegal encounters led to her trying to find men to have sex with herself.

With the help of a computer, she contacted many men and set out to get 'release'.

It was also around this time that she became anorexic, so bad that she refused to drink even a drop of water.

One day she fainted at school and it was so bad that she even tried to lose weight from her toes.

At that time she went to a pub in Bradford-on-Avon where men bought her cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis for sexual favors.

Last year she added: 'I started working in a massage parlor when I was 14. So while I was trying to act and see women outside and get fucked by men, I was then in a massage parlor and getting paid. .

“The massage parlor at the time didn't identify you, that wasn't until they started getting tight [we need] your ID, so I didn't do it that much, so I mainly used my money for booze and stuff.

'When [my son] was born, we walked in and out of hostels. I didn't have any food or anything at the time.'

Her long history of eating disorders was temporarily overcome during her first pregnancy, and she said it was “the only time I didn't feel guilty about gaining weight”: eating salmon and other nutritious foods to help her baby thrive.

She burst into tears and said, “It's not even my story that upsets me. It's literally because if I knew that someone had to endure something or any form of abuse where they were being beaten or mentally abused or anything like that, that's fatal, you know.”

Anderson's big break came at the age of 29 in 2017, after already having children, when she entered the world of online pornography. She set up a humorous collaboration, 'the c*** destroyers', with fellow porn star Rebecca More.

She quickly gained thousands of followers and became one of the few adult models to achieve mainstream fame.

Anderson's obvious warmth in interviews and social media posts, as well as her advocacy for HIV and LGBTQ+ charities, made her well-liked by fans and other celebrities.

Anderson, who lived in Slough, Berkshire, met former Palace Academy player Oliver Spedding on a porn set almost four years ago and the pair began a relationship.

Spedding told a castmate that he couldn't stop thinking about Sophie after the scene was over, calling her his “soulmate.”

In March 2021, Anderson suffered one of her biggest accidents of her career when her breast implant exploded in the shower after a fourth sepsis infection, leaving her fearing her career was over.

In an interview with The Star, she said: 'The most important thing is that the NHS saved my life. The doctors told me I was lucky and that I could have died. I still feel completely lost and I just want to be okay. I have to stay strong for my family.”

She later underwent major reconstructive surgery.

But she was deeply unhappy with the results and described her reconstructed breast as 'Bigfoot's foot' in a separate video, in which she also revealed she was in hospital battling sepsis.

Speaking about the ordeal, she described Spedding as her 'rock' and praised him for helping her through her 'darkest days'. He died a few weeks ago, without the cause of death being announced.

Anderson's former co-star Rebecca More, whose real name is Rebecca Jones and who is also a mother of four, announced her death on Instagram on Monday evening.

More wrote: 'I am devastated to hear the terrible news of Sophie's death. We had great times together and that is how I will remember her.

'The bubbly, funny, kind-hearted soul who was outrageous on the outside, but also so gentle behind closed doors. We were very close and we shared a crazy time together that was completely unique to us.

'That's how I'll remember her. This is so tragic, but I know you are at peace now. I will always love you and hold a special place in my heart.”

Anderson's last Instagram post, posted three weeks ago, was a selfie with the caption, “You're coming home to the wife after a hard day of work.”

Her last post with boyfriend Spedding, in August, was in line with an adult competition the couple entered.

“Please look at their website and vote for us,” Anderson said.

'We greatly appreciate your love and support.'

Meanwhile, Spedding's was a Halloween-themed video featuring Anderson.