True story… I met Lorena Bobbitt years ago at a salon in Virginia. I needed someone to shape my eyebrows last minute and didn’t have an appointment. Lorena kindly said she would squeeze me in.. although she had an already stacked schedule doing her specialty at the time- cutting hair. Unexpectedly I was finally able to put a face to a story that I had heard about as a young teenager while living in Korea. I mean who hadn’t? The news stories, the tabloids, the jokes.. many which still elicit giggles today. Looking and talking with this stylist I would have never known she could be behind a story that would transfix the nation. She was soft spoken, had a sweet demeanor and a motherly sense about her. She didn’t know who I was.. and only later in our appointment found out I worked in news. Knowing what I did.. she never put her guard up at all. Of course I wasn’t there to ask questions and I didn’t.
After staying in touch over the years Lorena finally said yes to doing an interview with me about her life now. This after admitting she has trouble trusting reporters. This year marks 20 years since she was found not guilty. A lot has changed. Living in Gainesville Virginia she has built a family with a man who she met in college. He’s been her best friend and love of her life for the last 16 years. Together they have an 8 year old daughter, Olivia. Lorena has also found a great group of friends doing one of her favorite things- zumba. She’s leaned on them for support of her life’s mission… helping victims of domestic violence through her foundation Lorena’s Red Wagon. Lorena confidently says she’s not a victim anymore and has decided to own the name that brought her so much notoriety. She hopes battered women learn from her story.
I’ll report two stories starting Monday. The first will air Monday at 6pm and in it Lorena will take us back to that night in 1993 that changed her life forever. We also share some laughs about her dating life after (they were lining up!) while looking at why now she proudly says “I’m Lorena Bobbitt.”
Tuesday at 4pm is a story that highlights what this hair stylist turned real estate agent is really passionate about. We look at the work her charity has done to help shelters across Prince William County. We also see how she lost 20 pounds in 10 weeks. Lorena says mentally and physically at age 44 she’s never felt better. She’s finally branching out and even delving into social media. You’ll be surprised to see what shocked her the most after googling her name for the first time.
Follow me on twitter at @ohmygoff for updates and other parts of our day together that didn’t make it into the story.
Lorena helping daughter Olivia with homework
Lorena lost 20 pounds in 10 weeks doing Zumba