From Cocaine to Celebrities: The Unbelievable Redemption of JFK Jr.'s Trainer
The Shocking True Story of a Champion Wrestler's Descent into Addiction and His Miraculous Resurrection
John Hanrahan was the epitome of success, a chiseled champion wrestler with a string of accolades to his name. By day, he dominated the mat, notching an unprecedented 100 victories at Penn State University. By night, he strutting down catwalks as a sought-after model, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood's A-list and posing for fashion campaigns that left women weak in the knees.
But beneath the surface of this seemingly perfect life, Hanrahan was secretly spiraling into a vortex of addiction. His introduction to drugs came at college, where he attempted to fit in with the "cool kids" by trying pot. Soon, his experimentation escalated to harder substances, and before long, cocaine became his drug of choice.
As his wrestling career went up in flames, Hanrahan's modeling gigs continued to pile up, fueling his illusion that he was still in control. He partied with Playboy centerfolds, dined with Andy Warhol, and yachted to the Bahamas with a beautiful Italian divorcee. His existence had become a debauched series of events, with him at the center of it all.
But Hanrahan's toxic lifestyle caught up with him in a brutal fashion. He disappeared without warning during qualifiers for the 1984 Olympics, leaving his coaches and teammates bewildered. "I was done," he confesses to The Scholarly Note in an exclusive interview.
In his new memoir, Wrestling with Angels, Hanrahan reveals the depths of his despair, including an overdose that nearly took his life. He writes about how, during a particularly dark period, he found himself writing goodbye notes to his loved ones, as if preparing for his own demise.
However, something intervened, and Hanrahan's life took a dramatic turn. He claims to have experienced a near-death experience, where two powerful angels ripped him out of his body and whisked him away to three different dimensions.
In this mystical realm, he encountered a presence that felt like pure light, illuminating everything it touched. Hanrahan describes the sensation as "awe-inspiring," saying it gave him a glimpse into his entire life – including the despair of his loved ones.
After being returned to his physical body, Hanrahan found himself feeling clean and sober, with no lingering effects from the drugs that had ravaged his system. He realized that he had been given a second chance, one that he was determined to use to share this source of love with the world.
But, as Hanrahan shares in his book, his experience was met with skepticism by those who didn't understand what he had seen. "People made fun of me," he writes. "Or said I'd probably had a drug-induced psychotic episode."
Hanrahan's story is one of redemption and hope, as he went on to become a successful personal trainer to the stars, including Julia Roberts, David Geffen, and JFK Jr. His celebrity clients loved his tough-but-tender approach, with Julia even asking him to teach her wrestling.
However, Hanrahan kept his near-death experience hidden, even from those closest to him. It wasn't until his son, Connor, faced a life-threatening battle with drugs that Hanrahan realized the importance of sharing his story.
"I became the complete messenger I was meant to be when I met Connor in the light of truth and love," he writes. "I remembered how the loneliness overwhelmed me, drowned out my prayers, made me feel helpless – made me feel hopeless – and pushed me deeper into darkness, until I came as close as humanly possible to the point of no return."
In Wrestling with Angels, Hanrahan shares his story in hopes of inspiring others who may be struggling with addiction or feelings of hopelessness. His message is one of connection – that we are all linked on a deep spiritual level.
Read John Hanrahan's full memoir, Wrestling with Angels: A True Story of Addiction, Resurrection, Hope, Fashion, Training Celebrities, and Man's Oldest Sport, available now on The Scholarly Note.
