When Crystal DiGregorio-Bassette (better known by her screen-name, Nadia Hilton) gave up her life in the porn industry, to become a Christian pastor she was making $30,000 a month, living in a $10 million mansion, driving Cadillac’s and bottle-feeding baby tigers at lavish late-night Hollywood parties. She even owned her own night club: Club Crystal.

But she was also deeply, personally conflicted by the things her career demanded of her.

Every morning, Crystal would drop her son off at school, wave goodbye and then leave to go get naked with strangers in some film studio, to film porno classics like Dangerous Dykes, Street Blowjobs and Big Titty Woman. 

“It was like a regular 9 to 5 job,” she told the Sun.

Crystal was partying heavily, living up the lavish life of a famous adult film star; existing solely as a sex object, as something to be ogled, something that’s very sexy and sexy always. She felt like she couldn’t leave the house unless she was wearing a belly shirt, a mini skirt or a low cut dress to show off that bangin’ bod. Then, one day, her abusive relationship pushed her to the tipping point, and she saw the light.

You might call it a cum to Jesus moment…

“That moment was a moment of giving every hurt and fear to God. I was bawling my eyes out crying and praying for God to release me from the abusive relationship I was in and all the bad things in my life: it was a full surrender,” Crystal told CBN News.

Not quite the kind of full surrender she was used to. But one that came at the right time and offered Crystal the clarity she needed to change things before she sailed past the point of no return. The path before her seemed suddenly clear for the first time in years.

She gave up her stardom, sold her $10 million mansion, gave up the $30,000 a month salary and closed her club. She started training as a paralegal and then as a pastor. She married a good, old-fashioned God-faring man named David (who is also a pastor) and they started their own church in New York, called New Beginnings Christian Life. Her Youtube channel is full of videos, mostly of her, preaching her Christian philosophy and advice.

Such a radical lifestyle change would give just about anyone a bad case of whiplash, but Crystal seems happy — seems to be enjoying her new life, born again. Which just goes to show that a leopard really can change its spots, even if that means giving up the limelight and the sex-glamour of the porn industry, for a life of quiet devotion and modesty.

The pursuit of happiness can follow some truly strange paths.