Shannon Twins Reflect on Life in Playboy Mansion, 'Anna Nicole Phase' & Life Now

The former playmates share what they've been to since leaving the mansion, their new lives outside of L.A. and re-establishing their faith in God.

Karissa and Kristina Shannon are looking back on their time in the Playboy Mansion.

Once the headline-grabbing twins of The Girls Next Door, the now 35-year-olds are stepping out of the shadows and dipping their toe back into the spotlight after embarking on a new, healthier chapter of their lives outside of Hollywood.

In a new interview with PEOPLE, the sisters reflect on their wild rise to fame, the trauma that followed, and how a cross-country escape helped them find peace, purpose, and their faith again.

From WingHouse to the Mansion

The Shannon Twins' journey began in small-town Florida, where they were raised by their Italian grandmother ("Nonna") after a rocky childhood. "We came from a small, poor Italian family," Kristina explains, adding that the sisters do not associate with their parents "to this day."

By 16, they were working at Ker's WingHouse -- a Hooters-style restaurant -- where they became local stars, landing on billboards and calendars.

"That's where our modeling career really started. We worked odd jobs until we were 16, when we started working there," Karissa shares, with Kristina calling it their first "centerfold."

Playboy caught wind of the twins soon after, when a photographer they had been working with sent their pictures to the publication.

"The calendar guy who was shooting all the Ker's WingHouse calendars, that photographer was also submitting photos to Playboy. We were 17," Karissa says.

The response was pretty instant, with Kristina claiming that Playboy head, Hugh Hefner, was "dying over the photos."

"They said, 'He loves you girls. You guys are in,'" Karissa remembers.

Life Behind the Playboy Curtain

Their debut made history, with Kristina and Karissa the youngest twins, and at that time, the first to get their own month in the Playboy calendar. But behind the scenes, things weren't so glamorous.

"We were literally just teenagers. We were all natural. We didn't have fake teeth. We didn't have fake boobs like the other girls or fake hair. We just walked around with natural faces over tan because we were always in the sun in Florida," Kristina explains.

Bullying, jealousy, and isolation were the norm, they said, and even with the extra attention from Hefner, the girls had a hard time feeling at home in the mansion.

"Hef would show us special attention compared to the other girls," Karissa recalls. "It made Kristina cry. Kristina literally cried and wanted to leave the mansion when we were shooting. And I told her, 'These girls are older. They know how to play the game better. But we're pretty. We're here. We've made it this far.' And so we ended up staying and Kristina got through it, but there was so much bullying."

Still, they stuck it out -- landing centerfold shoots, a role on The Girls Next Door and more.

Fame, Loss & Hitting Rock Bottom

After three years in the Playboy orbit, the cracks started to show.

With Karissa noting that Playboy "left a huge hole in both of our hearts and our spirits," especially when they were stripped of religion and the family at home that grew up with.

The death of their Nonna and Kristina's DUI, both in 2014, were pivotal points for the pair, shifting their focus to renewing their faith and finding their way in the world that started when both Kristina and Karissa became unhappy with their bodies and the lifestyle choices they made after leaving the mansion.

"Everyone was saying we were going through our 'Anna Nicole phase'," Kristina recalls, referencing the late Playmate Anna Nicole Smith. "We gained weight. There was alcohol and pills. We were really unhealthy and lost and, even at points, suicidal. We had no one. It was just us, trying to figure it out after losing ourselves."

So, they sold their beauty salon and made the decision to leave Los Angeles. They first settled in Las Vegas before decision to start over in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they were born before re-locating to Florida, where they were raised by their grandmother.

"We didn't know where to go, so we decided to go back to where we were born and leave L.A.," Karissa says. "We sold the beauty salon we owned at the time, and said, 'Let's get the hell out of here and live a simple life. Let's just start healing.'"

Healing in the Midwest

Back in Ann Arbor, the twins finally slowed down.

"Being in nature desensitized us. We ended up being diagnosed with manic depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Being outside the city helped us slow down," Karissa reveals, explaining the the pair used the move to "to find out who we are and just be selfish, try and live normally."

"We were totally just ready to be selfish for the first time. And we were all about God and praying constantly to Jesus," she explains. "We were literally praying and just trying to change our lives. And I feel like this is when we really grew up."

Shifting to an organic lifestyle that included organic food, products, medication and self-care, the pair entered their "healing era" which took years but changed them both for good.

"I didn't think we would ever come out of it. But Michigan changed us," Kristina adds. "We love being in Michigan and then going to L.A. or Vegas for work."

Ready for the Spotlight (in Their Own Way)

After years out of the spotlight, the twins say they're finally ready for a return, but this time, on their own terms.

"We do love attention. We love the cameras, not in a mean or narcissistic way. We're humble, but we love to entertain," Kristina says. "So we love reality TV because our personality is kind of like people can identify with us and we're really real and honest."

They're also thinking about getting their real estate licenses and opening themselves up to dating and even the possibility of motherhood.

"We really want to do pregnancy together. We want to be housewives, we want to get married, we want to have children. We want to have big families. Since all we have is each other, we want to have big families. It'd be so cool if we could have multiples," Kristina says, with Karissa adding they they both want to have twins.

Along with the PEOPLE interview came the pair's first photoshoot in their 30s, which marked another fresh start for the twin sisters.

"We were excited because this is our first time doing a photo shoot in our 30s, as grownups without the X-rated stuff," Kristina says. "People haven't seen us since 2022. We've been in hiding since A&E Secrets of Playboy. It's like the first time our fans are seeing us. We're stepping back out and letting our fans know where we're at, what we look like currently."

"We're changing our look. This is our transition in our 30s and you can see it. We're just trying to figure it out like everybody," Karissa adds, noting that the pair are reducing their breast implants.

While the future is still unclear, the twins maintained that they're still the same girls they always were, just grown up.

"We're healing and listening to our inner selves and keeping God first. We transformed our mental and now you can physically see how much better we are. It starts from within and it's all really connected," she continues. "We're excited to work hard, have fun and continue protecting our peace."