Hugh Hefner's Ex-Girlfriend Claims He Groomed Her, 'Searched Out The Taboo'

Hugh Hefner died on Sept. 27, 2017. The businessman is pictured attending Playboy's 60th Anniversary special event on Jan. 16, 2014 in Los Angeles.

Hugh Hefner's former girlfriend Sondra Theodore has alleged that the Playboy founder groomed her at the age of 19.

Former girlfriends and associates of Hefner are coming forward with disturbing allegations against the magazine founder in the new 10-part docuseries, "Secrets of Playboy."

Ahead of its premiere, Theodore, who will appear in the documentary, spoke with Entertainment Tonight about her alleged experiences with Hefner.

"The real Hugh Hefner, he could have been a great man. He did a lot of great things, but I watched him slip into this madness as the years progressed, and towards the end, it scared me," Theodore told ET. "I saw a man obsessed with sex, couldn’t get enough of it, and [it] wasn't ever enough for him. He got bored easily and the taboo was something he searched out."

Theodore was 19 when she met the publisher, who was 50 at the time. They met at a party, and he chose her to be his girlfriend, according to the former Playboy model. She claimed that for five years, Hefner groomed her into bringing other women into their bed.

"He had this way of making everything go away and questioning yourself…He said, 'Do you think that they can just stay in my house and not sleep with me?' And that was, Whoa!" Theodore claimed. "Would you have dinner guests and expect that of them? No. It was just so cold and callous and not the man that I've fallen in love with. I didn't know who this man was."

Theodore then claimed that Hefner would once more become that man she loved, something he allegedly used to keep her by his side. She alleged that he made her question what she'd seen and "had a way of twisting my world really badly."

As for how she snapped out of the "fairy tale," she shared that it wasn't so much what he said but "how he said it."

"I started questioning things and remembering things and I was like, 'My god, I was 19!' How dare he have used the love I had for him -- because I had fallen in love with him -- against me like he did for his benefit," she recalled.

Theodore said she didn't speak up before because it wasn't the right time. She claimed she and other Playmates tried for years to come forward with their stories, but they were allegedly "blocked" until they found their voice during the Me Too movement.

She said she was 25 when they split, and by that time, she was "tired." She said that she left the Playboy mansion "broken" and traumatized at the time, but now, she's ready to fight back and make a difference after what she experienced.

Another former girlfriend of Hefner, Holly Madison, also spoke about her experience at the Playboy mansion, likening it to a "cult." According to her, they were "kind of gaslit and expected to think of Hef as, like, this really good guy." She also felt they were isolated while there.

Meanwhile, former Playmate Brande Roderick defended Hefner, describing him as a "wonderful person" who taught her a lot. She also slammed the other Playmates who criticized him, saying, "The (girls) were there of their free will — No one was holding a gun to their head."

Playboy, which is no longer owned by the Hefner family, has since released a statement addressing the new allegations.

"Today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences," the statement obtained by ET said. "As a brand with sex positivity at its core, we believe safety, security, and accountability are paramount. The most important thing we can do right now is actively listen and learn from their experiences."

"The Secrets of Playboy" premieres Monday on A&E.