Warning: This article discusses addiction which some readers may find distressing.
A woman who describes herself as a 'serial cheater' has reflected on her darkest moments after claiming to sleep with over 100 people.
Persia Lawson claimed that she gave chlamydia to 'half of London' at the height of her relationship chaos, and said that she even juggled four boyfriends at the same time, which she believes was due to her tough upbringing.
Reflecting on her earlier years, the 39-year-old admitted that her darkest moments were around 2010, while she worked in a strip club and surrounded herself with 'awful' men.
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The woman even shared on TikTok that she 'gave the clap to half of London at 23', and received a death threat from someone after she had given their son a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Persia was told by doctors that she needed to tell anyone she'd slept with that she had an STD, though at the time she 'couldn't remember' it, as it all became a blur, as she realised she 'didn't even know' some of the people.
The Brit claimed that she had been interested in men from the age of nine, cheating on all her boyfriends from the age of 12. These behaviours resulted in her parents eventually giving her an intervention, and sending her to a health retreat in Thailand when she was 25.
She joined Love and Sex Addicts Anonymous, and even met her husband at a music festival in 2015 before tying the knot in 2022.
Now, the 39-year-old Surrey native writes books about her journey, raising awareness for sex addiction.
Persia admitted that she 'was a homewrecker, breaking up marriages', explaining that the problem grew as she got older: "I got increasingly worse, particularly in university, cheating on my boyfriends, sleeping with my boyfriends' best friends...
"When my boyfriend's dad was dying from cancer, I was having an affair, it was very dark. I went to drama school, and for me, it was just another place to just act out."
She said she slept with 'everyone at drama school', adding: "I ended up giving a boyfriend chlamydia. I found out from him (boyfriend) because he said he had a rash. His dad threatened to have me killed, it was all very extreme."
Persia couldn't remember how many people she gave the STD to, though she was unaware at the time as she had no symptoms, revealing: "I lied and said my boyfriend must have cheated on me which is really awful. I just felt so embarrassed and ashamed. That was really bad behaviour on my part.
"Like any addiction, I was a compulsive liar, I would lie about anything."
She had even called one of her boyfriends by the wrong name among her lies, saying: "I kept getting into these very dark situations, it was definitely the rock bottom. I have no idea how many people I've slept with. It's definitely in the hundreds. I couldn't possibly know.
"I was so willing to just give my body up and not think about the dangers of that."
Apparently, her parents realised something was up when she got a severe faecal impaction while she was working at the strip club, as she was not taking care of herself and 'drinking too much'.
Now, the author aims to remove the stigma around sex addiction to encourage those to come forwards and get help, as she recalled not dealing with 'the trauma of growing up' at the time.
Persia said her past life sounds like she's 'talking about a movie', explaining: "I've been with my husband for 10 years and been talking about it for so long."
She said the addiction can cme from deep trauma, as you can end up looking for 'very destructive romantic dynamics' like a junkie would look for drugs.
Now, she is a relationship coach, and runs retreats around the world. She's even established a festival with her husband to raise money for charity.
"I have the most amazing husband and relationship now. He is very chilled out and relaxed. He never has been critical," she admitted, adding: "It has to start with you learning to love yourself. I didn't even realise what was going on or that I had a problem, I just thought that's who I was."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, UK News, TikTok, Mental Health
Joshua Nair