Tyra Banks tearfully opened up about learning that her home was destroyed in the L.A. fires while she was in Australia

Tyra Banks tearfully opened up about learning that her home was destroyed in the L.A. fires while she was in Australia

Tyra Banks opened up about the loss of her home in the recent L.A. wildfires during an appearance on the Australian breakfast show *Sunrise* on January 20.

The 51-year-old model shared that while some of her family and friends were coping better than others, she personally had suffered a major loss.

When asked if she knew anyone who had lost their home, Banks revealed, “I’m one of them. I lost my house.” She added that she hadn’t talked much about it before, as she didn’t want to draw attention to herself amid the devastation affecting so many others.

“I just didn’t want to pull a lot of attention to me,” she explained. “There’s a lot of people that need that attention, so I haven’t really talked about it, but I can’t sit here and not tell the truth.”

Banks recalled that she and her boyfriend, Louis Bélanger-Martin, were in Australia celebrating at a friend’s house when they learned of the destruction.

She was initially focused on checking her phone for updates about her friends and family, ensuring they were evacuating safely. However, when she saw troubling news about her own home, she turned to her partner for reassurance.

“We were celebrating and just having fun. I kept checking my phone, not for my house, but just for friends and family,” she said.

“I was just making sure they were evacuating and everything. Then, I asked my partner, ‘I’m seeing something here. What do you think?’ And he said [she nods].”

After hearing the news, Banks composed herself, not wanting to upset her friends. “I didn’t say anything to my friends. I just stayed in that moment.

Then we went home and we cried.” Fortunately, many of her mementos were in New York or Australia, sparing them from the destruction.

The wildfires, which began on January 7, have affected several celebrities, including Anna Faris, Ricki Lake, and Cary Elwes. As of January 16, the fires have caused 27 deaths, with thousands still under evacuation orders.