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Shocking pictures reveal tragic decline of OC beauty Mischa Barton
MISH MASH
MESS: Mischa in bikini and puffing on cig
THESE are the astonishing last pictures of dishevelled actress Mischa Barton just HOURS before she was dramatically sectioned.
Dragging on a cigarette, the tousled-hair former OC star looks bloated, pasty and dazed as she slumps by a pool at a Los Angeles hotel.
Gone is the fresh-faced look of the Hollywood beauty that won her millions of fans a couple of years ago.
Click here to see more photos of Mischa Barton - before and after
Our shocking photos were taken on Tuesday, hours before Mischa, 23, was escorted from her home by cops and placed under involuntary psychiatric care the following day.
An onlooker said: "She looked a mess. She was stumbling around the pool, smoking heavily and looked really dazed."
Today we can reveal the truth of how the troubled star went off the rails - leading to her being held under the same law that sent pop princess Britney Spears to hospital twice last year, and missing the New York premiere of her new film Homecoming.
Binge
Friends believe Mischa could have been only 24 hours from death. One said: "She's on the edge. Her family saw her heading in the same direction as Amy Winehouse and Britney and were scared for her life."
Mischa's worried mum Nuala and dad Paul are understood to have disapproved of the wild crowd she had fallen in with during a debauched six months in London, where she was born.
Pals said Mischa often partied until 3am and was becoming increasingly erratic. One said: "She would binge drink. Her body couldn't cope."
One time Mischa was out in Soho on her own in the early hours and started talking to strangers, said the friend. "She could have anything she wanted but she loved hanging out in dirty bars with unsavoury people around."
Mischa had also taken prescription drugs after a tooth op. Another pal said: "She didn't stop drinking so it was a dangerous mix. It also contributed to the bloating."
It was a disturbing turnaround for one of Hollywood's most beautiful and talented actresses. A showbiz source revealed: "It all started going wrong when she left The OC. She thought she was bigger than the show. Then she decided to return to her London roots. She pushed her family away. She wanted to live her life. Everyone was shocked at how different she was acting and how she looked."
Under Californian law someone can be involuntarily sectioned for up to three days. Expert Keith Ablow said: "They have to be at the brink of complete disaster."
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This article has 23 comments
She looks OK, what is the fuss??? she is just having or trying to have a normal lazy day like any other human being!, lazy, meaning no 100 of tons of makeup..and what with the weight?? so if you are a size 10-12 you are not healthy? she looks healthier and better than when she is skinny. And on the other side, please! she is famous but not sooo famous, why they go into this business and then realise that they cannot manage it or live under the public eye! go to rehab and get a life!
By Viv. Posted July 23 2009 at 9:42 PM.
Lady nan nan what you have typed actually hurt my brain you God damn moron.
By King Kourosh. Posted July 21 2009 at 12:04 AM.
I only wanna say:I'm not jealousy anymore, I'm skinner than her at last.
By Lady nan nan. Posted July 20 2009 at 4:34 PM.
When people don't work for a living, this is what happens. Famous people have too much spare time on their hands so they become lazy & self absorbed
By Jane. Posted July 20 2009 at 3:52 PM.
I am sorry she is ill but I think she looks younger and nicer where she has weight on than looking skinny. She looks quite sad and in a world of her own though .
By carole. Posted July 20 2009 at 3:41 PM.
aww poor girl what a shame...haha who cares!!!
By Shoomoo. Posted July 19 2009 at 9:38 PM.
wat is wrong with mischa im creeped out seriously
By natasha. Posted July 19 2009 at 8:19 PM.
I think she looks pretty in the after photo's, just a little sad. She just needs help to take control of her life.
By Lisa. Posted July 19 2009 at 8:17 PM.
She's a beautiful woman in all the photos. Yes in some photos her eyes give away a great deal of sadness which is understandable as she's constantly 'papped'! I hope the media give her a break and she has time to heal and get better.
By Mutteroo. Posted July 19 2009 at 6:00 PM.
She's hot, I'd rather wake up with her "After" picture than some random paris hilton wannabe friday night slapper.
By Carl. Posted July 19 2009 at 4:39 PM.
To be perfectly honest with you, she still looks good in the second photo. But because the media had made everyone think that you have to be airbrushed to perfection to look good, then if you have just one picture, where you have no makeup on, and you've got a little bit of extra weight, then you're ugly. i think that's what's sad about this. I wish her all the best, with being in hospital, and everything else in her life <3
By Pamiii. Posted July 19 2009 at 4:35 PM.
Such is the price of fame....
By Lorna Wanstall. Posted July 19 2009 at 3:56 PM.
Please do not put Brittany Spears as a role model. She may be having some emiotional problems, she is in a tough business. The fact she doesn't have the glamour look going,certainly doesn't mean she is 24 hours to live. If she requires medical care then by all means I hope and pray she receives the care she needs.
By cindy. Posted July 19 2009 at 2:14 PM.
I think her pale bloatiness looks like medication. Her mental state is prob bad from all the partying.
By Sarah. Posted July 19 2009 at 12:21 PM.
I would hardly say shocking....she does not look that bad!
By karen fussner. Posted July 19 2009 at 10:09 AM.
She does look exactly the same minus digital enhancement. quite a few 20 somethings and 30 somethings are out largin it at the weekend. However, shes disappoint she was not swamped with offers and has mental health issues- hope someone helps her put it all into perspective- and she remembers thats the life of an actor- lots of rest periods and faddy.
By millie. Posted July 19 2009 at 8:44 AM.
Have to agree with the postings that say she looks good in the 'after' pics. She still looks really nice.
Good luck to the poor girl, I hope she makes a full recovery.
By Paul. Posted July 19 2009 at 8:26 AM.
LOL @ Mark's comment because I agree she looks fine physically.
I agree with Mary and Steve's comments.
I hope she gets help if she is suffering from mental health problems.
I wish her all the best for the future.
By Alisha. Posted July 19 2009 at 7:59 AM.
Erhm, she looks exactly the same just minus photoshop and ten tonnes of spray on slap.
I hope she makes a full recovery, goes to college and enjoys a normal life and career. Celebrity feeds on vulnerable young people and there are better ways to make a living!
By Olivia. Posted July 19 2009 at 7:56 AM.
is it just me or does she look better in the aftermath pictures ? I mean if thats 24 hours from death I should of died years ago
By mark. Posted July 19 2009 at 6:38 AM.
Life's a bitch.
By Jonathan . Posted July 19 2009 at 6:27 AM.
Thats the age that severe mental llness strikes, but we still dont spot the warning signs. In this day and age we should be more enlightened and educated to help them from becoming so ill, that they end up sectioned or worse. Poor girl its heartbreaking for her and her family.
By mary. Posted July 19 2009 at 3:04 AM.
Poor love, you can turn it around. Just look at how well Britney's managed to turn her life around since it seemed like all was lost.
Let's hope she gets the help that she needs and that this is the first and last time that the girl needs psychatric care...
By Steve. Posted July 19 2009 at 1:53 AM.