A model who is about to turn 48 has revealed her own family haven’t spoken to her in 15 years over her X-rated career – but says she has zero regrets.
Danica Danali was a stay-at-home mum and wife when she first started posting photos of herself online for fun – never imagining it would lead to a fully fledged career in the adult industry.
But after a professional studio reached out and offered her a shoot, the model went on to build a thriving content business raking in up to £19,500 ($25,000 USD) every single month.
Danica, who now has 58,000 followers on Instagram @danicadanali, says her parents and siblings cut her off when they found out – and the family rift has lasted a decade and a half.
The 47-year-old, who is gearing up to mark her 48th birthday next week, said she has never looked back.
“My friends were totally fine with it,” Danica told NudeNewz.
“They were like ‘oh okay, that kind of tracks’.
“But my family did not like it.
“With that and other things that had happened in the past before, we haven’t spoken in 15 years.”
While her own relatives cut all contact, the model said her husband’s family went the opposite way – sitting him down for a frank conversation and then welcoming her with open arms.
Danica added: “My husband’s family was extremely supportive.
“They just asked him – they were like ‘are you sure you know what she’s doing?’.
“He was like ‘yeah’.
“They accepted after that.”
Before the cameras started rolling, Danica had spent years at home raising her children – with the only hint of her future career being the casual photos she liked to share on social media.
She said: “I was just a stay-at-home mum and a wife.
“I had always enjoyed posting photos of myself online and people just kept telling me that I could sell them and I should be a model and all this stuff.
“I looked into that and started shooting with some hobbyist photographers first and that went over very well.
“As I was posting more and more, a studio just reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to do a real professional shoot.”
Her very first studio shoot, she admits, was terrifying.
Danica said: “I was so nervous.
“I’d never been in a studio before.
“I’d never done anything like that before.
“It was crazy for me.”
Years on and the nerves have well and truly gone – with Danica saying her favourite part of the job is being able to roll up to set and let the studio handle everything else.
She said: “It’s much easier now.
“I really like shooting for studios.
“All I have to do is show up and look pretty so I don’t have to do any of the behind-the-scenes work.
“That’s always fun.”
Despite the eye-watering monthly haul, the model insists her day-to-day life is virtually unchanged – with her still juggling the school run and her marriage just like before.
Danica, who lives in Texas, US, said: “Day to day really didn’t change much.
“I had already always been posting pictures, but now it’s more organised.
“I don’t just post a random shot in a Facebook group.
“But otherwise I’m still on a day-to-day, just a mum and a wife.
“The occasional travel here and there.”
The extra cash, however, has brought a few little luxuries – with the mum admitting her grown-up daughter has been quick to call her out on at least one of them.
Most of her splurges go on her gardening hobby and her flock of backyard chickens.
She said: “Right now it’s a lot of stuff for gardening and chickens.
“I’m a hobbyist – I garden a lot and I have five chickens.
“We’re getting two more today – so a lot of stuff around that.”
Asked how she got into gardening, the model said the love of plants long predates her racy career.
Danica said: “I’ve always liked it.
“When my kids were little, way before the industry, I was always wanting to plant stuff.
“I had a little tomato garden on my balcony when we lived in an apartment.
“Now I have a big garden.”
When it comes to her fans, Danica says the most outrageous demand of her career involved a microphone, a pair of high heels – and a swarm of bugs.
She said: “There was once when some guy wanted me to somehow gain access to a bunch of bugs and step on them in high heels.
“He was like ‘make sure you have a microphone down there – I want to hear the crunch’.
“I was like ‘yeah, we’re not going to do that’.”
Almost two decades into the industry, the model says little surprises her anymore.
Danica added: “There’s less of a shock factor now because I feel like I’ve heard it all.
“Even new stuff, it really doesn’t surprise me that much anymore.
Looking ahead, Danica is putting her years of industry experience to work on a brand new venture – a female-only “shoot house” designed to give models a safe and relaxed space to create.
She said: “Starting later this month, I’m going to start doing a lot more shoot house type of stuff – but female only.
“I have photographers and all kinds of people working behind the scenes.
“I’m just going to try to make it the most relaxed, coolest little thing.
“We’ll rent some Airbnbs and have other models come over and basically just shoot whatever they want in whatever room they want.
“But female only.”
Despite the family heartbreak that has shadowed her career, Danica – who describes herself as “pretty outspoken” – says she would not change a thing.
She added: “If there was anything I really felt that strongly about, I’ve probably said it already – whether I should have or not.”
Almost 48, gardening with her chickens, building an empire of her own, and surrounded by friends and her husband’s family – Danica is proof that it’s never too late to bet on yourself.
