Lorelei Martha Shellist

~Engaged to Steve; broken off before his death~

Birthname: Lorelei Martha Shellist

Birthdate:December 13th, 1958

Children: None

Marital Status: Divorced (Johnston) ~

The last name was mentioned in Jacqueline's wedding program. Aside from that mention, we have found nothing on the relationship.

Currently Resides: Playa Del Rey, CA

Previous Jobs: Modeling, Singing, Acting, Writing

Current Job: Author, Publishing, Model, Modelist, and most importantly a volunteer counselor at Oasis Center in Nashville, Tennessee and Polinski Center in San Diego, California. Lorelei counsels At-Risk Teens teaching them "Life Skills" such as self confidence, job interview skills and goal setting.

How she met Steve:

According to Lorelei, "I wasn't a Def leppard fan prior to meeting Steve, I didn't know them where I lived in Europe. Steve and I met through my friend, Peter Mensch, the band's manager, when he and Phil came to Paris. We met in my apartment in Paris and the four of us went to dinner together. Yes, Valerie and I both paid our own way, it was not meant to be a "date" and so we did not expect them to pay even though they were very wealthy young men at the time. We had our own careers and so we didn't need their money."

On their relationship:

"We were together nearly seven years. We had plans of getting married and having children when the Hysteria Tour ended in October of 1989, but by then his drinking had escalated to the point of no return. Steve was the love of my life and I miss him to this day."

How she heard that Steve had died:

"I was in our NY apartment waiting for him to finally get sober . I got the dreaded call from his manager, Cliff Burnstein, the morning he died. On his birthdays and on the anniversaries of his death I usually light a candle and talk to him, telling him how much I missed him."

Brief History:

Lorelei was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in what she refers to as a "dysfunctional" family. She would eventually run away as a teenager. She has two sisters, Jan and Corrine (one is a personal chef in Beverly Hills). Her modeling career began at 14 1/2 and got her first Hollywood agent at 15. At the age of 16, she moved to New York to work with the Ford Agency. Lorelei went to Europe at 19 years of age, working through The Elite Agencies Worldwide.

The daughter of musical parents, Lorelei decided to give music a try. Coincidentally, she performed at a club owned by Karl Geary, the actor that played Steve. Here's what she has to say about it:
"I remember when I was first performing my own songs 'live' in NYC. Karl owned a very hip spot on the lower east side of Manhattan called "Cafe Sine". He doesn't know it was me he booked back then. I think he sold the place when he went into acting."

In 2000, Lorelei wrote an article on DL that appeared on DISHMAG.COM. According to Lorelei, "I came up with the idea for the magazine to do a story on the band because they were playing so close to Nashville where the magazine is based. So when I pitched the idea to Raeanne Rubenstein, the editor, for someone else to write she called me back and said "You're a writer, why don't you write it? You know them better than any journalist I can send!" Besides, she knew I was going to be there anyway! lol" You can find that article HERE.

She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in the field of Counseling Psychology at the University of Santa Monica. In addition, Lorelei specializes in Family and Relationship Counseling, Personal Growth Healing, Chemical Dependency, and Strategies For Success. Her ultimate goal is in promoting Joy and Mental Wellness to all.

Her latest endeavor is of great interest to many Lep fans!  Lorelei has written a book, Runway Runaway , about her life.  This of course includes tales of Steve and their time together.  The feedback has been pretty positive.  You can find out how to get it by stopping by her website!!

Authoring a book led Lorelei to enter the publishing world.  She now owns her own business, Siren Star Publishing.  The company deals with the worldwide production of books, audio, music and other media that are inspirational, lyrical and informative.

Lorelei's Resume:

*Filmography

Films That Suck (1999) .... Publicist

A Letter From Death Row (1998) .... Jessica Foster

High Tension, Low Budget (The Making of a Letter From Death Row) (1999) (V) .... Jessica Foster/self

Guest Role:

"Veronica Mars".... Mrs. Drake (1 episode, 2005)
- Kanes and Abel's (2005) TV Episode .... Mrs. Drake

An audio resume used to be available, but is no longer.

*Television Appearances

Lorelei has appeared on Good Morning America, Inside Edition, AM New York, Phil Donahue, Good Morning Los Angeles, CNN, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, BBC and Joan Rivers Show as an expert on fashion, beauty and women's issues.

*Modeling

Ms. Shellist worked as a model with Elite Model Management, Inc. and Ford Models, Inc.

Most recently, Lorelei appeared in a national campaign for AT&T and was the "hang-tag" model for Vanity Fair Lingerie for women. She continues to work as a fashion model and has recently enjoyed serving as a LifeStyle model.

Lorelei's portfolio includes tear sheets from magazines including Vogue, Marie Claire, Italian Vogue, WWD, and Italian Bazaar.

She has worked for numerous designers including Giorgio Armani, Bob Mackie, Ralph Lauren, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves St. Laurent, Geoffrey Beene, and Gian Franco Ferre.

Official Links:

Official Site

Bio, gallery, professional endeavors, and more

(a major source for much of our information)

Siren Star Publishing

The Publishing Company

Runway Runaway

The book's site.

Myspace

Official profile.

Lorelei's Twitter

Def Leppard Supersite interview provided some of the quotes used on this page.