Woman ditches thriving porn career to become a preacher
A woman went through a dramatic change when she gave up her thriving career in the porn industry to become a pastor in in the small town of Fulton, New York.
Crystal Bassette, 33, grew up in North Carolina but moved to Hollywood after she got pregnant at the young age of 16. In her first few weeks, she participated in pole dancing competitions and worked as a model and a dancer, The Sun revealed.
In a desperate bid to support her son, she met with an adult film agent who told her that she could earn as much as $30,000 a month in the industry.
Soon after the meeting, she attended her first scene at a house in Malibu, but the job was not what she expected.
"I remember after the scene, I sat in the shower for about two hours crying. Then I stopped after that shoot and didn't go back for about one month," Bassette recounted.
She eventually went back to the porn industry, but she started taking pain medicine and drinking alcohol to get through the scenes.
Bassette said that shooting scenes became a daily routine for her. She narrated that she would drop off her son to school in the morning and shoot a scene before coming home. "It was like a regular 9-to-5 job," she said.
Bassette, who starred in more than 100 films, was eventually able to afford a home in Malibu as well as seven cars, including a Ferrari. However, she also drank heavily in an attempt to hide her secret shame.
"I just lived for myself and my son and didn't really think about the consequences of making films and dancing and everything," she said.
The turning point for Bassette came in May 2014 when she got involved in a serious car crash and was charged with DWI.
Realizing that her lifestyle was unsustainable, Bassette turned to the Bible and started attending her sister's church. In December 2014, she married the church's pastor, David, who already knew about her past.
"The day I was saved, I felt like the preacher was just speaking to me directly. It was like he was preaching to only me and you know that day I felt God was talking to me through his preaching and everything he said felt right," she recounted.
After leaving the porn industry, Bassette went to college to become a paralegal and trained as a pastor. She and David eventually found their own church called New Beginnings Christan Life, where they hope to serve as an inspiration to others.
Bassette said that she is no longer worried about her appearance or money. "Now I'm worried about helping people," she remarked.