Reality star Apple Watts has shocked fans with her recent appearance following a devastating car accident that left the fan-favorite media personality disfigured and needing the assistance of a wheelchair.
Watts will be familiar to fans of the hit VH1 reality show Love and Hip Hop—in which she starred as a part of the show's Hollywood spin-off.
Watts appeared on the series—which is ongoing with recent seasons taking place in Miami and Atlanta—for a single season (Season 5) before stepping back from the TV limelight for the last several years. She has, however, reappeared following a recent brush with death, making fans wonder what happened to the former TV star.
Apple Watts Now: Why Does She Look Like That?
Fans have been shocked to see Love and Hip Hop star Apple Watts come back into the public eye, looking a little different than before.
Watts, who starred in Love and Hip Hop Hollywood Season 5, recently appeared in a new video interview with YouTube channel Soft White Underbelly following what the video described as a "crippling car accident."
The former TV star sustained significant injuries in an automotive crash on March 24, 2022, leaving her requiring the use of a wheelchair as well as having to undergo significant reconstructive surgery.
The accident occurred between Watts in her Mercedes and a Ford F250 pickup truck as the Hollywood, California native was driving between Las Vegas and her home in LA.
In the new interview, which was posted on January 23, Watss described the crash, saying she had "fallen asleep" behind the wheel after driving with a slight buzz and collided with a truck transporting another vehicle at high speed:
"What happened was I was a little buzzed, but it was hours later. Because I was buzzed before, I got lost. Then, I was just an hour away from home. Then I guess I fell asleep, and then...I ran into a car...that type of truck that brings a new car to another car lot...I ran into that truck, and I guess I was going 90 miles per hour."
"My car, it crashed...and I flew through the window," Watts recounted to the interviewers, adding that she is lucky to be alive:
"My car, it crashed and it must have flown off the road and I flew through the window and I went unconscious, and then my car caught on fire. Everything I had was just everywhere."
This left the TV star with major injuries including a shattered spine, broken arm, and fractured skull. She would also be kept in a medically induced coma for four months following the accident, as doctors fought to keep her alive.
Watts has claimed she hopes to return to reality TV sometime soon and wants to use this experience for good. She believes by putting her story out there, she can motivate people not to drink and drive and is impassioned to serve as a spokesperson for the consequences of such an act.
"I just want to save lives," Watts admitted, adding she "regret[s] all the things [she] took for granted before the accident:"
"Don’t drink and drive. Lots of people died off of this stuff. I thought I was bulletproof. I just want to save lives. I don’t want anybody going through what I went through. I regret all the things I took for granted before the accident."
Watts remains positive despite her circumstances and has made a near-full recovery since the accident.
The Love and Hip Hop series is ongoing, with the latest season taking place in Atlanta having aired in late 2024.
Watts can be followed online on Instagram.
