Hannah Price
BBC Eye Investigations
Ana, who had suffered abuse and hardship in her childhood in Brazil, moved to the US seeking a fresh start. Torres, with her glamorous image, seemed like the perfect mentor. Her life story, told through her autobiography A Voz [The Voice], promised inspiration, portraying Torres as a survivor of childhood violence who overcame trauma to become a successful spiritual influencer and media figure. Ana was drawn to Torres’ apparent wisdom and spirituality, which seemed to resonate with her own struggles.
Torres had gained fame through her claims of spiritual powers, and she was frequently seen in the media, even rubbing shoulders with Hollywood celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio. Her image, polished through media appearances and magazine covers, presented a life of glamour and success, making it easy for Ana to believe in Torres’ authenticity.
However, Ana’s admiration for Torres would soon reveal itself as misplaced. What Ana didn’t know was that Torres’ self-made story was built on lies and exaggerations. According to Torres’ former flatmate, Luzer Twersky, her life began to spiral out of control after she became involved with the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca, which Torres’ Hollywood friends had introduced her to. This period of drug use, Twersky noted, triggered Torres’ increasingly erratic behavior.
Adding to the complexity of her character, Twersky revealed that Torres had also worked as a “sugar baby”—a woman paid by wealthy men for romantic involvement, a situation that allegedly financed her living arrangements and lifestyle. These factors, hidden behind her public persona, made Torres a master manipulator of vulnerable women like Ana.
