Stolen Childhood: Tragic Stories of Children Whom People Tried to Turn into Stars (34 Photos)

We decided to remind parents what can happen when they are determined to turn their child into a real celebrity. Perhaps the tragic stories of these children—who did indeed become stars—will help preserve someone else's childhood. Because the price of fame turned out to be far too high.





Eva Ionesco

Eva’s mother, Irina Ionesco, was a professional photographer—and a very famous one in France—who chose her daughter as her favorite model.



However, she preferred to photograph her daughter naked or scantily clad, in suggestive poses.





The girl was just four years old when her mother began selling photographs of her, and by the age of eleven, images of the girl had appeared in *Playboy*.



Around the same time, Eva Ionesco made her film debut in Roman Polanski’s *The Tenant*. Next came the erotic film *Maladolescenza* (also known as *Innocence and Perversion*). A scandal ensued; Irina Ionesco was stripped of her parental rights and forbidden from photographing her daughter, yet she continued to sell pictures of the girl in secret.



In 2011, Eva released an autobiographical film titled *My Little Princess*, through which she apparently sought to show her mother just how wrong she had been.



It seems that several court battles failed to convince Irina Ionesco of anything.

Alana Thompson ("Honey Boo Boo")

Alana’s mother, June, had always dreamed of fame, so she began entering her daughter in beauty pageants when the girl was just six years old.



And, it must be said, she got what she wanted: producers noticed the family and offered to film a reality show about their lives called *Here Comes Honey Boo Boo*.



It was truly a goldmine: a show not about celebrities, but about stereotypical rednecks—alcoholism, slovenliness, early marriages and pregnancies, junk food, scandals, and obesity—the whole package of vices that everyone finds so fascinating to watch.



But over the course of the show, Boo Boo’s mother seemed to break every record. Before filming, she would give her daughter a mixture of soda and energy drinks to make Honey Boo Boo "livelier," and she fed her daughter until she reached a serious stage of obesity.



Then, the mother did something that shocked all of America: the show’s next season was cancelled after June began living with an ex-boyfriend who had served 10 years for molesting an eight-year-old girl. And that girl was… June’s eldest daughter!



Now, Honey Boo Boo is unsuccessfully trying to lose weight, while her mother responds to all attacks from journalists with the same thing:

"What did I do wrong? I didn't give her alcohol. But I could have!"

Richard Sandrak

Richard’s father, a former martial arts champion, always dreamed of raising his son to be "the strongest child in the world."



When the boy was two years old, the family moved from Ukraine to the USA, and Richard began his daily workouts.



Later, Richard's father was accused of child abuse: Richard was forbidden from playing, going outside, eating unhealthy (but tasty) food, and, naturally, skipping workouts.



On the other hand, by the age of eight, the boy could bench press twice his body weight, and by eleven, he was lifting three times that amount. At eight, Richard became the strongest child in the world; he was invited to TV shows, training sessions, and competitions, and was dubbed "Little Hercules."



But soon, "Little Hercules" cut all ties with his father: the man was sentenced to three years in prison for abuse—he had been beating his wife. It was Richard himself who called the police. After that, the training sessions also came to an end.



The former bodybuilder is now 29 years old, and he doesn't look nearly as impressive as he did in his youth.

"I am very proud of my childhood achievements; I’m not ashamed of them, and I’m not trying to hide this chapter of my life from anyone," he says. "I just don't want to live that way anymore."

Richard Sandrak still has no contact with his father, who was released from prison long ago.

Björn Andrésen

When Björn was six years old, his mother lost her parental rights, and his grandmother took over his care.



The boy himself dreamed of becoming a pianist, but his grandmother—who worked at a Stockholm film studio—envisioned a film career for her grandson, especially given his striking good looks.



At what was practically the very first audition of his life, director Luchino Visconti cast him as Tadzio in his film adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novella *Death in Venice*—a story about the unhealthy obsession of the writer Gustav von Aschenbach with a young Polish aristocrat named Tadzio.



Filming was difficult for Björn: the director forbade the boy from sunbathing, swimming in the sea, or playing with other children—especially flirting with girls. Whenever Visconti noticed such behavior, he would fly into a rage and halt production. Andrésen was strictly forbidden from stepping out of character as a young aristocratic homosexual.



After the premiere, fame descended upon Björn; he came to be known as "the most beautiful boy of the 20th century." At the same time, journalists constantly tried to catch him in relationships with men—an effort fueled by the film's director, who took Björn to a gay club after the premiere.



Ultimately, unable to withstand the pressure, Björn Andrésen did begin dating men, though he later came to regret it:

"The homosexual experiences I had as a teenager had a deeply negative impact on my psyche." "I succumbed to the prevailing influence and simply caused myself physical and emotional harm," he recounted later.



Ultimately, Björn managed to overcome this, return to making music, and get married. However, he still looks back on his youth with regret.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan began her career at the age of three. Initially, the little one worked as a model.



Later, she switched to TV series, and at age 11, she played the lead role in the comedy *The Parent Trap*, which paved the way for her entry into major cinema.



One of young Lindsay's most successful projects was the comedy *Mean Girls*, after which paparazzi began hounding the 16-year-old Lohan. And that’s when things went wrong…



The turbulence of adolescence and the stress of her new superstar status collided with the distress of a first professional flop: after a string of awards, ovations, and praise, Lindsay received her first "Golden Raspberry" (Razzie) award in 2006 for the comedy *Just My Luck*.



Around this time, the actress began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and a year later, she decided to enter a rehabilitation clinic for substance abuse. Everyone knows what happened next.



DUI arrests and car accidents, on-set scandals involving theft, escaping rehab, and community service at a morgue. Yes, people are still talking about Lindsay—but not because of her film work.

Macaulay Culkin

The story of Macaulay Culkin—who shot to fame and fortune following the release of the comedy *Home Alone*—is a classic example of the tragic fate of a child star unable to cope with early celebrity.



Yet Culkin cannot be dismissed as a one-role actor; he had every chance to break out of the comedic mold. For instance, in 1993, Macaulay played a villainous role in the dramatic thriller *The Good Son*.



Directors were willing to work with the young talent, but, emboldened by his success, the boy demanded multi-million dollar fees for his participation in projects—all while his parents were on the verge of divorce due to a conflict over control of their son's earnings.



Culkin was forced to put his film career on hold so his parents could resolve their financial disputes. His parents eventually divorced and the money went to Macaulay—who had by then grown older—but during the long hiatus, directors had forgotten about the young prodigy.



Moreover, his talent itself had already lost its freshness and youthful charm; he had developed a dependency on alcohol and drugs, and had even managed to marry actress Rachel Miner at seventeen—only to divorce her two years later.



The only notable film role of Culkin’s adult career was in the tragicomedy *Party Monster*, in which he played the infamous club promoter Michael Alig, who killed his drug dealer.



Critics and audiences alike saw his portrayal of a lonely raver—mired in the party scene and addiction—as a reflection of Culkin’s own inner world.



In December 2012, reports emerged that Macaulay had attempted suicide due to depression following his breakup with actress Mila Kunis.