Hugh Hefner's ex Izabella St. James shares strict roles he made Playboy mansion lovers follow

The ex-girlfriend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner has shared some of the strict rules that she had to follow while living in the infamous Playboy Mansion.

While the Playboy Mansion has become known for its raucous parties and being a symbol of a certain kind of hedonistic lifestyle, the reality for the women who lived there was far from this, with them having to adhere to a strict set of rules.

It might seem to at odds with the reputation for lavish parties, but that was the reality.

Now, Izabella St. James - who was girlfriend number seven for the late magazine mogul, who died at the age of 91 in 2017 - has opened up about the rules that she and the other women at the mansion had to follow.

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Chief among these was the curfew - they all had to be back at the mansion by 9pm, so no staying out late.

And despite Hefner himself having multiple partners, they were not permitted to be with anybody else. Cheating on Hefner was a big no no in the mansion.

Despite saying that Hefner was always a 'perfect gentleman', Izabella said that she still found the whole experience of living in the mansion to be bizarre.

She told Fox News: “I’m not going to pretend or lie – it was very weird to be part of a group of seven girlfriends dating the same guy.

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“He created his own world, his own fantasy where he set his own rules. And I wanted to learn more.”

She then added: “I thought his whole world was just fascinating.”

While he had seven girlfriends in total, Hefner also had one 'main' girlfriend - Holly Madison - who would share his bed at night. The rest all had their own rooms.

They also had the opportunity to share his bed twice a week if they wanted. However, this was never compulsory, Izabella claims.

But even though there were strict rules, Izabella insists that she still enjoyed her time in the mansion in the early 2000s.

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She said that she was there 'for a good time, not a long time', adding that it had been a 'tremendous experience' living in the mansion.

Although she was one of Hefner's seven girlfriends, she says that she never actually posed for Playboy, and was also never certified as an official Playmate.

As a matter of fact, she was going through law school when she was asked to go and live in the mansion in 2002, aged 26.

In recent years, Hefner's legacy has come under scrutiny, with many who had lived or spent time in the Playboy mansion coming forward with accusations of abuse.