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Heather Thomas, who turned 66 on September 8, was well-known for her leading part opposite Lee Majors in The Fall Guy and was expected to have a very successful Hollywood career.<\/p>\n
However, the stunning blonde hurried to the hospital, thinking her father had an emergency, when the actor\u2019s mother appeared on set during the filming of the show\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n
She was informed by her relatives and friends who met her at the Santa Monica hospital that her father, Leon, was doing well and that they were worried about her.<\/p>\n
This was only the start of a new adventure for the 28-year-old woman, whose job and personal life had totally changed as a result of her hospital stay.<\/p>\n
Discover what became of the 1980s pinup girl by continuing to read!<\/p>\n
With a natural beauty and ability comparable to that of Farrah Fawcett and Heather Locklear, Heather Thomas pursued her passion.<\/p>\n
When the girl was just 14 years old, she presented the talk show Talking with a Giant on NBC, where she and four other teenagers conducted celebrity interviews.<\/p>\n
Thomas, now 66, studied theater and cinema at UCLA with the goal of advancing her career as an actor, director, and writer. The year before she graduated, she made an appearance in the short-lived comedy series Co-Ed Fever (1979).<\/p>\n
The Connecticut-born performer landed her first major part in 1980 in the television series The Fall Guy, supporting Lee Majors, who became well-known throughout the world in the 1970s for his portrayal of Steven Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man.<\/p>\n
As the popular action show\u2019s stuntwoman-bounty hunter Jody Banks, Thomas was adored by men who saw her as a sex symbol\u2014a label about which she acknowledges she feels conflicted.<\/p>\n
Thomas told People that there was \u201cobligatory condescension that goes with that.\u201d \u201cThe blonde bimbo is a stereotype that you fit into. But I was simply enjoying myself at the moment.<\/p>\n
Regretfully, she was enjoying herself excessively when using drugs, a tendency that predates her portrayal of Jody Banks.<\/p>\n
Her history with drugs began in the sixth grade, when she began abusing narcotics to keep her grades at the top. \u201cI was taking acid and getting straight As,\u201d Thomas declared. I simply believed it to be mind-blowing.<\/p>\n
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\nHer drug use changed as her mentality matured from that of a child to an adult.<\/p>\n
Thomas began taking cocaine while she was a student at UCLA, and her drug use worsened in 1981, a year after she started filming The Fall Guy.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the 5-foot-7 Thomas developed an obsession with weight and began taking Lasix, a diuretic that may produce extreme sleepiness, feeling as though she had to live up to her reputation as a sex symbol.<\/p>\n
She took additional cocaine to give her an energy boost in order to combat the sluggishness.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, I was still getting used to the medicine. I thought I was receiving a good deal on my purchase. She asserted that she had never used cocaine on site and that it had allowed her to work through the night. It is not permitted to use cocaine on sets. It\u2019s no longer clubby to carry it out. It\u2019s merely a personal torment.<\/p>\n
A person close to the performer told People that her drug usage was hurting her career, despite her statements to the contrary. According to the source, \u201cword was out on Heather.\u201d \u201cPeople were aware of her issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between takes, Thomas\u2019s weight plummeted from 125 to 105 pounds and he was fast asleep. Thomas said, \u201cI was in a minicoma sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Subsequently, she fainted in front of Majors, who subsequently contacted her manager and her mother.<\/p>\n
Her mother, Gladdy Ryder, a former special education teacher, showed up on the set of The Fall Guy to tell her daughter that her father was in the hospital after the series finale concluded.<\/p>\n
The writer of \u201cTrophies\u201d hurried to St. John\u2019s Hospital, where she was welcomed by relatives and friends who were prepared to have her admitted into the three-week drug program.<\/p>\n
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Thomas remarked of that day, \u201cIt was a big relief to me.\u201d She also mentioned that she had pneumonia, scarred lungs, and swollen kidneys when she checked into detox. \u201cI wanted to get off the roller coaster I\u2019d been on.\u201d I most likely would have continued on my merry way till I lost my job or passed away if my family hadn\u2019t stepped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe doctors said I should have died three years ago,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n
Thomas, who was dedicated to her recovery, surrounded herself with people who shared her values and would help her achieve her drug-free objectives. That\u2019s when Allan Rosenthal, a co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous, and 28-year-old Thomas first met. She later got married to him and filed for divorce in September 1986.<\/p>\n
She was hit by a car while crossing the street that same month, severely injuring both of her legs.<\/p>\n
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Following her detox, divorce, and surgery to heal severe damage to one leg, Thomas resumed her career, albeit in minor roles in TV shows. She also starred in movies including the 1987 movie Cyclone and the 1990 Canadian movie Red Blooded American Girl, which starred Christopher Plummer.<\/p>\n
After putting her past behind her, Thomas made a fresh start in the 1990s. In an effort to further her career, she married entertainment attorney Skip Brittenham in 1992. In June 2000, Thomas gave birth to her only biological child, India Rose, while also assuming the role of stepmother to his two daughters, Kristina and Shauna.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to give it up and write for a while,\u201d she told Reuters, \u201cbecause I had about 45 restraining orders out, and I was on everything from a toilet seat cover to an ashtray\u2014and I was in love, and [then] had two little girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a primary focus on writing, the actress from Zapped! claimed that frequent privacy violations by stalkers drove her away from acting, rather than a lack of roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was being really harassed. One day, I witnessed a person use a knife to scale the fence. That was it; I had these two small kids who needed to be raised so badly. However, I believe that now that I am older, people won\u2019t annoy me as much.<\/p>\n
In addition, Thomas is currently an activist, having previously served on the boards of the Amazon Conservation Team and the Rape Foundation.<\/p>\n
Declaring oneself a feminist\u2014a deceptive term for a former gender symbol\u2014Thomas elucidated the significance of both.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was younger, I followed people\u2019s instructions, but as I grew older, I refused to compromise.\u201d I desired independence and control. This got me a house and the recognition I needed to open doors. Having people see your body is not inherently bad. I don\u2019t believe I deceived myself. Being a feminist, in my opinion, does not entail body shame, the woman stated.<\/p>\n
Although it\u2019s really unfortunate that Heather Thomas was unable to return to the acting world, we\u2019re glad she received the support she required and is now embarking on a lifelong healing process.<\/p>\n
We really enjoyed watching her as Jody Banks in The Fall Guy with the Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors, one of the many amazing shows from the 1980s!<\/p>\n
What you have to say about Thomas and her recuperation would be greatly appreciated!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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