Tila Tequila is a model and TV personality who has used her success as a stepping stone into the online, music and fashion industries and also has a book. She was born Tila Nguyen in 1981 in Singapore to French-Vietnamese parents. The family, which also consisted of two other children, moved to Houston when Tila was just one year old. From her middle school days, Tila had behavioral problems and was sent to a boarding school. She began to experiment with drugs and joined a gang. At the age of 13, the girl earned her nickname "Tila Tequila" because of her affection for the drink.
By the age of 16, Tila Tequila had experienced a drive by shooting and had a miscarriage. The young girl finally fled to Queens, New York. At 18 years old, Tila was discovered while in a mall by a model scout for Playboy. After a test shoot, Tila was made the Playboy's first Asian Cyber Girl for the month. Afterwards, Tila Tequila appeared in many magazine shoots including Maxim UK Stuff. This led to her appearing in the VH1 reality show Surviving Nugentand she also hosted a strip-dance show, "Pants Off Dance".
Eventually Tila Tequila got her own show, "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila". The show had both male and female contestants competing for Tila's affections and the young personality gained attention and critism for her bisexuality.
In 2009, Tila Tequila was engaged to an heiress Casey Johnson. However, Johnson died due to diabetic-related problems before the couple was married.
In addition to being a TV star and model, Tila Tequila has her own social networking site, a self help book and a music EP.
