Make New York Post a Preferred Source One of the original “Instagram models” seemingly disappeared into thin air at the height of her internet stardom — but friends have revealed that she retreated to a simple life of yoga, meditation and taking care of stray cats.
Long before social media stardom was considered a viable career path, Demi Rose Mawby was one of Instagram’s original “It Girls” – with nearly 18 million followers and a feed full of scantily clad photos snapped against some of the world’s most enviable backdrops.
But just as her profile reached its peak popularity, Mawby’s posts came to a sudden and inexplicable halt in early 2023 – sparking concern and even conspiracy theories about her whereabouts from her still-devoted followers.
Recently, however, details of the British-born model’s new, offline life were revealed by the Daily Mail – as well as her heart-wrenching motivation for quitting the world of thirst-trap posting.
Mawby, now 31, still lives in Ibiza, the notorious Spanish island known for its rollocking club and drug scene. But now she lives in Santa Gertrudis, a sleepy, bohemian village – where her closest companions are feral cats, according to the Mail.
When she’s not working with local animal shelters to find homes for stray felines, the former OnlyFans star apparently keeps company with a tarot card reader, who recently told the outlet that Mawby is “not ready to talk about her time offline.”
Mawby got her start on MySpace, but posed for a slew of men’s magazines including “FHM” and “Nuts” as she become one of the first mega-successful Instagram models.
In 2015, she appeared in DJ Khaled’s video “How Many Times” and she had a brief fling with rapper Tyga the following year after he split with Kylie Jenner.
Around that time she joined “Taz’s Angels” — a group of models lived together in a Miami house, which was run by a club promoter who claimed he was the “black Hugh Hefner.”
Mawby’s move to Ibiza in early 2020 – and later, her decision to take her life completely offline – were reportedly fuelled by the back-to-back death of her parents.
Her father, Barrie, died from cancer at age 80 in October 2018. Just eight months later, her mother, Christine, died at 63, following a long health battle that began when she suffered a heart attack and stroke while her influencer daughter was just 17 years old.
Mawby, who was her mother’s primary caregiver for roughly seven years, was left “angry, sad, bitter and lonely” by her parents’ deaths – and relied heavily on spirituality to get her out of the dark headspace, she reportedly revealed during a now archived episode of the PrettyLittleThing Podcast.
Earlier, as her Instagram following was rising exponentially in 2017, Mawby had expressed gratitude for the platform opening the doors to her “amazing life.”
“I have an amazing life travelling the world and showing off curves to rival the Kardashians…I love the best parties, yachts and fast cars – but deep down I’m just a kid from Sutton Coldfield who got lucky,” she told The Sun, referring to her hometown.
The last post on Mawby’s Instagram feed – in which she cryptically wrote about “infinite inspiration” – was uploaded from Egypt’s Dendera Temple on Feb. 27, 2023.
“This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. I loved it. This temple felt very emotional for me. The sick would come here for healing. Women for fertility,” the brunette beauty wrote in the post’s caption, alongside a carousel of her wearing a white, see-through lace dress inside the temple.
Around the same time, Mawby also ceased posting on her OnlyFans account, where she once boasted around 1.2 million followers.
Despite the lengthy hiatus, Mawby plans to one day return to social media, her rep told the Daily Mail this week.
