Heather Locklear's friends concerned after troubled star loses 20lbs and can't stay off tequila
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA: 'Melrose Place' star Heather Locklear, 61, was spotted behaving erratically in in Malibu, California, on Thursday, June 29, raising concerns. Eyewitnesses reportedly saw the actress attempting to maintain balance along the ledge of an office building while clutching onto pillars for support. She was also seen speaking to herself while gesturing wildly and holding her head in her hands.
"Heather is drinking," sources said, adding, "The family is very worried. Everyone feels helpless. Richie [Sambora], her family, especially her daughter Ava who loves her so much." Her struggles with mental health issues and addiction do not stop there. She was said to be taking Ozempic, a popular diabetes medication known for aiding weight loss. It was reported that she had lost 40lbs and obsessed over her weight while being unable to resist her preferred drink, tequila.
Heather Locklear's strained relationships
Sources said the situation was challenging for Locklear's fiance, Chris Heisser, a former motocross driver, as well as he was fighting an alcohol addiction himself. "[Chris] has to drive her for mandatory errands and try to sustain his career while lying to family and friends consistently hiding her alcohol and drug problems. [The couple] told friends she has been drinking again months ago and would return to rehab to no avail," sources said, per the Daily Mail.
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Ava has reportedly witnessed her mother's struggles with addiction firsthand. Despite her unwavering support, which played a crucial role in Locklear becoming sober in 2019, the recent relapse has undoubtedly taken its toll on their relationship.
(Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images)
Heather Locklear's decade-long legal and mental turmoil
Locklear's troubles began after a DUI incident after separating from her ex-husband, Richie Sambora, in 2006. Over the next decade, she faced multiple hospitalizations, arrests and rehab stints. In February 2018, she was arrested for domestic violence and battery against a cop who responded to an incident at her Thousand Oaks mansion in California.
In June the same year, she was arrested again for allegedly verbally and physically assaulting an ambulance EMT, who had been called in for assistance. In November 2018, Locklear was placed on a 5150 hold, indicative of a mental breakdown, after her therapist deemed her a danger to herself or others. In August 2019, she pleaded no contest to eight misdemeanor counts, including battery on peace officers and emergency medical personnel, as well as resisting and obstructing peace officers.
Locklear was sentenced to a 30-day stint in a residential rehab in a mental health facility, with a 120-day suspended jail sentence. "Heather got off so easy with no probation or accountability after beating up cops and then threatening EMT ambulance drivers. The no accountability has allowed her to continue to hide out on top of her mountain estate and drink her tequila body into a much larger unhappier figure," an insider said.