Tyra Banks broke down in tears after discovering her home had burned to the ground in the California wildfires.
The supermodel-turned-TV star has revealed she was in Australia at a party with friends when she checked her phone and realised the house she shares in Los Angeles with her partner Louis Belanger-Martin had been consumed by flames – and she kept the news secret until the couple left the bash.
During an appearance on Australian TV show ‘Sunrise’, Tyra explained: “I lost my house … I haven’t really talked about it, um, but yeah, I have. I just didn’t want to pull a lot of attention to me, I feel like there’s a lot of people that need that attention so I haven’t talked about it.
“But I can’t sit here and not tell the truth. that yeah we lost our house.”
The ‘America’s Next Top Model’ host went on to reveal the moment she found out her home had been destroyed, saying: “I was here [In Australia] … We were at a friend’s house here and we were just celebrating, having fun, and I just kept checking my phone, not for my house, but for my friends and family, making sure they were evacuating …
“And then I asked my partner. I said: ‘I’m seeing something on my phone here’, and he … [nods]. And I just pulled it together and didn’t say anything to my friends, and just stayed in that moment.
“And then we went home, and we cried, and we had our moment.”
The wildfires – have been raging across southern California since January 7 – have claimed the lives of at least 27 people and destroyed thousands of buildings.
Other celebrities to have lost their homes include Mel Gibson, Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton, who has launched an online appeal to raise funds for others affected by the disaster.
Famous faces from across the music industry will also be coming together later this month for the FireAid concert which will help bring in extra cash to help those in need.
The concert will take place at two venues – the Inuit Dome and Kia Forum in Los Angeles – on January 30 and performers include Olivia Rodrigo and Stevie Wonder as well as No Doubt, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Stevie Nicks, Katy Perry and Sting.
The concert has been described as an “evening of music and solidarity” to raise vital funds to help communities devastated by the fires. It will be broadcast and streamed on services including Apple Music and Apple TV, iHeartRadio,Netflix/Tudom, Paramount+, Prime Video, SiriusXM, YouTube and more as well as being shown at a number of cinemas across the US.
The LA Clippers will cover all expenses associated with the event, so all proceeds can go towards rebuilding communities and looking at preventative measures to help halt future disasters.
