Meet AnnaLynne McCord, the actress and anti-trafficking advocate crowdfunding her wedding
The model and Days of Our Lives actress, who’s marrying ex-rugby star Danny Cipriani, has spoken publicly about surviving sexual assault
AnnaLynne McCord and Danny Cipriani’s upcoming nuptials have become a popular topic of conversation online after it was revealed that the former rugby player and his actress fiancée – who have an estimated combined net worth of US$8 million – are asking their guests to foot the bill for their wedding.
On July 27, The Sun reported discovering the couple’s crowdfunding website on Honeyfund, a registry for couples who’d rather fund their honeymoon than receive home goods. The couple have reportedly asked guests to contribute to expenses for various aspects of their wedding, including two US$500 donations for their rehearsal dinner, two US$600 donations for their flowers, and eight US$600 donations to construct their wedding venue, Hello! magazine reported.
The website’s public guestbook has been flooded with comments calling the couple out for their miserliness. “It’s extremely tacky and distasteful to ask guests to pay for your wedding – especially in this town,” a source told The Sun. “These are two celebrities who boast a lavish lifestyle.”
So what do we know about the blushing bride, AnnaLynne McCord?
From religious upbringing to TV fame
AnnaLynne McCord was born in July 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of a Christian pastor. The actress, who was home-schooled by her mother, told Cosmopolitan magazine in 2014 that her family was “extremely religious and conservative”.
McCord said she and her sisters rarely watched TV, mainly old episodes of Little House on the Prairie, and were barred from films like Harry Potter because “it had witches in it”. She said her parents’ idea of “discipline” was abuse: punishments were painful and ritualistic, and included being hit with a ruler and, when the girls got older, a paddle.
She was 15 years old when her parents got divorced, and she convinced them to let her move to Miami to pursue a modelling career. At 17, McCord moved to New York with her boyfriend and enrolled in drama school. A year later, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she began auditioning for various roles. She made her on-screen debut in a 2002 horror film called The Middle of Nowhere.
The actress has since appeared in shows such as The OC and Nip/Tuck. She is best known for playing Naomi Clark in 90210 and, more recently, Cat Greene in the NBC juggernaut Days of Our Lives.