Ex-con model fights with her boyfriend over career
A former model who was locked up for five years for selling heroin is furious with her boyfriend for going behind her back and getting her an audition at a modeling agency because she fears she will end up doing drugs again.
Alla, 27, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, got a six-figure modeling contract when she was just 18 years old, but her dreams were derailed when she was busted for heroin possession and distribution. She struck up a romance with James, 35, after he found her on an inmate dating site and reached out to her via a prison pen pal service.
On Friday night's episode of the WeTV series Love After Lockup, Alla and James get into an heated argument after he reveals he booked the meeting with a modeling agency before clearing it with her first.
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Thoughtless: Alla (L), 27, is furious when her boyfriend James (R), 35, goes behind her back and gets her an audition with a modeling agency right after she is released from prison
Criminal: Alla served five years in prison after being busted for busted for heroin possession and distribution
'You set it up without talking to me! 'That's not okay,' she screams at him from inside the shower. 'I'm going to get a job and I am going to do whatever it takes, but I don't want to model. I don't want to model.'
Although Alla is incredibly angry with him, he thinks he is just looking out for her. However, he admits there were probably better ways to go about it.
'I probably should have discussed it with her more because she is definitely not feeling it,' he says in his testimonial.
Alla actually has a very good reason for wanting to avoid the modeling world. She explains once she became a part of the industry she was 'exposed to heroin' and became a drug addict.
'Once I did it, I didn't stop,' she recalls.
Wasted opportunity: The former fashion model got a six-figure modeling contract when she was just 18 years old, but her dreams were derailed when she was arrested
Putting her foot down: Alla is in the shower when she tells James she doesn't want to go back to modeling
James ignores her insistence that she isn't going to go to audition, telling her that he is going to leave work early to take her into Chicago.
'I am not going to be there James! I don't feel good,' she yells back.
Alla explains in her testimonial that she just got out of prison and isn't in a rush.
'I want to be the most normal me, so I can't go back to modeling. It's not an option,' she says.
Not getting it: James ignores her insistence that she isn't going to go to audition and says he is going to leave work early to take her to Chicago
Different opinions: Alla is worried that modeling will lead her to start using heroin again, but James gets angry with her because she is refusing to give it a try
Pressure: As soon as James gets angry with her, Alla relents and says she will do it for him
While arguing with James, she stresses that she needs to be a part of these decisions noting that he did this without speaking with her first. Although she is making some valid points, James just gets angry with her.
'Getting you to Chicago is my priority. What the f**k is your priority?' he yells at her.
As soon as James gets angry with her, Alla relents and says she will do it.
'If it's that important to you, I'll do it for you,' she says. 'But do you see what I am talking about? Do you understand that you need to communicate these things? I'll do it for you.'
Alla tells the camera she really doesn't want to model, but for James she is 'willing to do whatever it takes.'
Past mistakes: Alla explains that once she became a part of the industry she was 'exposed to heroin' and became a drug addict
Pen pal: James, who is a divorcé, struck up a relationship with Alla after he came across her 'Prison Darlings' profile on an inmate dating site
Not on the same page: Alla has already introduced him to her parents (pictured), he his keeping their relationship a secret because he fears his family won't approve
The couple has a far from traditional courtship, as James struck up a relationship with Alla after he and his wife of nearly a decade got divorced.
He was checking out an inmate dating site when he came across her 'Prison Darlings' profile and was captivated by her beauty.
'I was married for eight years and it didn't work out, so I was sort of in a weird emotional place and I wanted to talk to somebody about it,' he explained on the show's premiere.
'I discovered Alla on a website about 10 months ago. I wrote her a letter and that's how we connected. She's been life-changing.'
Although Alla has already introduced him to her parents, he his keeping their relationship a secret because he fears his family won't approve — especially because his father is a cop.