The Queen of Versailles' Jackie Siegel has opened up about her daughter's overdose death seven years on by issuing a warning to other parents as drug-related deaths continue to soar in the US.
The 56-year-old reality star lost her 18-year-old daughter Victoria on June 6, 2015, after she consumed a fatal overdose of opioids and antidepressants.
Victoria was found unresponsive at the family's home in Orlando, Florida, while Jackie and her timeshare mogul husband David, 87, were vacationing in Park City, Utah.
Tragically, she had been dead for several hours by the time she was discovered.
Jackie and David have previously revealed they were unaware of their daughter's substance abuse issues and missed a number of warning signs that her secret opioid addiction battle was spiraling out of control.
They also believe that Victoria's experimentation with drugs began shortly after the release of the documentary, The Queen of Versailles, which catapulted the Siegel family to fame in 2012.
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According to Jackie, Victoria was "embarrassed" by the film and was regularly ridiculed by people at school for the way she looked in it.
In the seven years since Victoria's death, Jackie has continued to keep her daughter's legacy alive by founding The Victoria's Voice Foundation, which is working to combat the opioid epidemic and drug addiction among teenagers.
But since 2015, overdose deaths have continued to snowball in the US, reaching an all-time high in 2020, and again in 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Experts called the unprecedented rise in deaths during this time as an "epidemic within a pandemic", with an estimated 93,655 overdose deaths recorded in 2020, and 107,622 in 2021.
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"I thought when Victoria passed away and when we started The Victoria’s Voice Foundation that we would start seeing fewer overdoses with all the work we’ve been doing," Jackie told The US Sun.
"But unfortunately, with Covid, which we didn’t foresee and the fentanyl infiltrating and lacing all the street drugs, the overdose deaths have become an even bigger problem.
"[I] have to work even harder to warn people about fentanyl now."
A PRICELESS TRIBUTE
Jackie and David have almost finished construction on their infamous 90,000-square-foot home on the shore of Lake Butler, Florida, which they have been building since 2004 and will become the largest house in America.
The building of the home has been repeatedly delayed by a myriad of setbacks, including Victoria's death and the financial crash of 2008, but Jackie is eyeing a final move-in date of May 3, 2023.
The home, once completed, will feature a number of tributes to Victoria and will be used to host all the events and charity fundraisers for The Victoria's Voice Foundation.
One of the tributes to Victoria is found in the home's most expensive feature: a dancefloor floor made out of semi-precious stones in the mansion's grand ballroom.
While declining to disclose its pricetag, the dancefloor features an amethyst butterfly at its center, which is a reference to the purple butterfly that landed on Victoria's coffin during her funeral.
Jackie has also designed a Siegel family crest which will be displayed throughout the home. The seal again features a butterfly in memory of her late daughter.
MAKE IT REIGN
Jackie and David will be moving into the home in May next year with their seven children, along with a number of staff members – including a butler and security – and their various pets, which include dogs, toucans, and a number of other animals.
The gigantic property is set to feature nine kitchens, 30 bathrooms, 14 bedrooms, a nightclub, a 150-person dining room, and an authentic British pub with a vintage bar and London phone box imported from the UK.
Jackie also hoped to install a Benihana-style restaurant and kitchen inside the home, though those plans have been placed on the back-burner for the time being due to planning complications.
Elsewhere throughout the home, a collection of exotic birds – to which Jackie hopes to one day add Flamingoes – will be scattered, as will an assembly of old-world antiques, which she and David have spent between $20m-$30m acquiring.
Other pricey objects include a $184,000 chandelier, a $30,000 dollar sculpture of a trio of goddesses, and a $100,000 stained glass window.
But despite the array of lavish items and furniture on display, it's her secret wardrobe that brings Jackie the most joy.
"My favorite room will probably be my secret closet because when I need some alone time I know I can hide and escape from my crazy busy life there," she said.
Despite the tireless two decades of work that have gone into bringing Jackie's vision to life (not to mention the home's annual $65,000 tax bill), she said every drop of blood, sweat, and tears will feel worth it in the end.
She also believes that the project has helped bring her family closer together.
She explained: "The home has already brought us more together because the children are involved now and it's a project that’s bringing us all together.
"The kids are excited about it and my husband is excited about it and I really think it’s going to keep them close to us."
FIT FOR A QUEEN
As the years have passed with her children growing older, Jackie said her original plans for the home back in 2004 have changed quite considerably from the property she has now.
Where she once had drawn up plans to have a nanny's room and an ice skating rink, instead they now have larger closets and a workout room.
Speaking about the scale of the entire property, Jackie said: "It feels like the same size of a super Walmart to me.
"I mean we can all get lost in the house and in order to find someone, sometimes we have to call each other [on the phone]."
To walk through the entire home room-by-room will take visitors a couple of hours, Jackie insists.
But despite Versaille being crowned the biggest home in America, Jackie said she wishes it was even bigger and pledged to continue building on the property even after she's moved in.
"In terms of my house, I actually wish it were a little bigger because I have a lot more friends now and they are all wanting to come to stay at Versailles, so I’m having to add [to it].
"Also because now we have a live-in security guard house and I also need more guest suites and guest houses … I’m actually going to add on to Versailles."
RETURN TO POWER
Jackie has been documenting the latest in the building of her over-the-top mansion on a new Discovery+ Show, Queen of Versailles Reigns Again.
The six-episode series marked her return to the small screen for the first time in 10 years.
Jackie and her family were propelled to fame in 2012 after appearing in the documentary Queen of Versailles, which followed the family's trials and tribulations as David's timeshare business was badly hit by the 2008 recession.
Construction was halted for a number of years amid their financial woes, and Jackie and David were even at one point forced to put the property up for sale but they failed to find a buyer willing to meet their $60 million price tag.
The project was also delayed after Victoria's tragic death and again for a time in 2019 when a fire broke out on the property.
But Jackie said it "feels good" to be back on screen "because I’m able to answer a lot of questions about Versailles and what happened with it.
"And it has given me the opportunity to speak about the drug epidemic and hopefully reach out and save a lot of lives," she added.
While Versailles may be moving closer to completion, Jackie said she doesn't expect to suddenly find herself with more free time on her hands once it's finished.
"I don’t think I’ll ever see a day of free time," she said. "Getting the house done is the first step and next I’m … going around the country for Victoria's voice speaking at schools.
"Plus my work on the house is creating more work for me and the running of the house is a job in itself.
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"I had to hire a manager/butler and will probably have a staff of about 30 people.
"And with all the events I’ll be hosting it’s going to be a lot of behind-the-scenes managing of staff making sure everything runs smoothly."
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