Kendra Wilkinson Has ‘Found Peace’ 2 Decades After Her ‘Girls Next Door’ Rise to Fame

Kendra Wilkinson is focusing on her present and future. The single mother of two transitioned from reality television to a career in real estate and is now pouring into herself, which she says has paid off.

The former girlfriend of Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner has had a major renaissance in the past 20 years since viewers first met her on the E! reality series. Now divorced, and out of the major Hollywood spotlight, she’s found her new purpose.

“Focused on my kids, business and friends. I barely even look backwards anymore because I finally know how to live in the present and not take it for granted. I’ve lived through so much and have found peace.  Not easy still and im still out here fighting for my life but im at peace. Feels good.,’ she captioned a black and white selfie of herself to her Instagram account, sharing with her 3.1 million followers.

Unlike her former Girls Next Door co-stars, Henfer’s other two former girlfriends Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt, Wilkinson has not shared negative experiences from her time in the mansion, but she hinted at experiencing trauma. However, she has never fully elaborated on what she’s experienced.

The series aired for five seasons, first premiering in 2005. Wilkinson would leave the mansion and her time with Hefner upon meeting former NFL player Hank Bassett, whom she wed and had two children with. After a decade of marriage, they divorced, even surviving a period of him cheating with a trans woman, which he denied knowing of her status. 

Wilkinson would have several spinoffs, many of which shared her life with Bassett. They also appeared on Couple’s Therapy and Marriage Bootcamp. She would later document her journey to real estate professionalism with her HBO reality series.