Tan Mum Says She’s Put The Past Behind Her After Being Accused of Tanning With Her Young Daughter

Ten years ago Patricia Krentcil earned the nickname Tan Mum after making headlines for allegedly taking her then 5 year old daughter to a tanning salon in New Jersey. She was charged with child endangerment for exposing her daughter to harmful UV rays.

Speaking to the New York Post, the 53 year old says she became an overnight headline because of her tanning obsession. “I was dubbed ‘Tan Mom’ all over tabloids, and this turned into the most massive hurricane in the world. It went global. There are no words to describe what happened to me and my family.”

 

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“I was accused of child endangerment. I was vindicated through the courts,” said Krentcil, who admitted she still tans twice a week in her own sun bed at home. “The owner of the tanning salon told the police when they came and asked, ‘Did she bring her daughter into the booth?’ and the owner said, ‘No.’”

 

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Krentcil was found innocent and subsequently did not lose custody of her child. “I did nothing wrong, period.”

Despite the ruling, her family was continuously hounded by the press. Krentcil says she turned to alcohol to deal with the infamy.

“I got so sick from it all — I started drinking and making a fool of myself,” she said, saying that her family relocated to Tampa, Florida, to make a fresh start.

The incident happened after police became involved when her daughter turned up at school with “a little bit of a burn on her back” as a result of the sun.

“It doesn’t bother me anymore. It’s two separate people,” she says. “There’s Tan Mum, celebrity, and then there’s Patricia Marie, mum.”

Images: CBC and Instagram

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