TV whizkid actor loses money to stripper, homeless

Gary Coleman- "Whatcha talkin bout Willis". Well, if you have seen re-runs on television of the hit show "Diff'rent Strokes" then you know what we are talking about. A popular sitcom that made its way into our TV sets about a rich businessman from the white community who lives with his teenage daughter and decides to adopt two black kids was a big hit. The star of the show was undoubtedly the fun-loving child actor Arnold Jackson. However, for the older Gary Coleman's life took a different tangent. At the age of 21, Gary fought a legal battle with his adoptive parents. He sued them for misappropriation of assets. He lost a lot of money during the process and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 1999. His troubles didn't just end here, a case of domestic violence was filed against him by his wife of half his age. Post his bankruptcy, Gary did a lot of menial jobs including working as a security guard. He was reportedly forced to sell off his personal items; among them the bowling shoes he wore in Diff'rent Strokes, which went for $100. Gary also received a suspended sentence for assault after he punched a female fan who had asked for his autograph. Gary passed away in 2010 at the age of 42 after he suffered head injuries during a fall at his home in Utah. He slipped into coma and his wife Shannon Price took the heartbreaking decision of switching off the life support machine he was on.

Todd Bridges- Arnold's onscreen brother in 'Diff'rent Stokes' also didn't do well personally after he grew up. Todd Bridges also became famous with his Willis act in the show, but in real life he battled drug addiction. In 1988, he was arrested and tried for the attempted murder of Kenneth Tex Clay, a Los Angeles drug dealer, who, prosecutors argued, had been shot by Bridges while he was 'high'. Bridges pleaded not guilty to the charges, and was represented by the high-profile defence attorney Johnnie Cochrane, who successfully portrayed Bridges as someone who had been exploited by the entertainment industry, and was now being unfairly framed. Bridges was acquitted of all charges by a jury. However, in 1993 he was involved in an altercation with a tenant in his house after a disagreement about unpaid rent. The tenant attacked Bridges with a sword, who retaliated by stabbing him in the chest with a kitchen knife. The prosecution dropped the charges, concluding he had acted in self-defence. It seems that Todd learned from his mistakes. Todd now claims to be clean and sober. He has taken to Christianity and now speaks to young children about the dangers of drugs.

Dana Plato- The young kids from the 'Diff'rent Strokes' show were all jinxed or so it seems now. The beautiful young daughter of Mr. Drummond, Kimberly too had a tough life ahead of her. Dana battled with major alcohol addiction as a grown up. In an interview she said that she didn't care for drugs, she just wanted alcohol. In 1989, fed up with her dry cleaning job (the only one she could get) and playing slot machines in Vegas, Dana posed for Playboy magazine. Two years later, she was in trouble for stealing $160 from a Las Vegas video store after pulling out a gun and demanding the takings from the till. She returned to pick up her glasses and was arrested. If this wasn't enough to tarnish her image, shortly afterwards, she forged a prescription for 1,000 Valium, was caught and was given a second five-year probation sentence. After treatment in a clinic for her alcohol and drug problems, Dana made various attempts at a comeback and appeared in a string of low-budget films including 'Different Strokes: The Story of Jack & Jill', a soft porn video that made fun of her past. She also appeared on shock radio DJ Howard Stern's syndicated radio show to promote an underwear range. During the interview she claimed to have been sober for more than a decade and broke down in tears. Dana however, succumbed to an overdose of painkillers and tranquillisers the next day itself while visiting her fiance's family in Moore, Oklahoma. She died at the age of 35.

Jodie Sweetin- The clever and naughty Stephanie Tanner of the three kids from the show 'Full House' had an unhappy real life as well. Jodie Sweetin battled Ecstasy and Crystal Meth addiction as she was growing up. The bubbly and vivacious girl that we all loved in the show 'Full House' however, found solace in alcohol just at the age of 14. A two time divorcee, Jodie claimed to various magazines that she was sober but in an interview revealed that she continued to snort cocaine. If this wasn't enough, she once drunk drove her baby girl in a car but claimed that it was when she hit rock bottom. She turned sober for good when she realised that was going to be an emergency custody investigation because of her drinking and drugs. She now works for a rehab in Los Angeles in the United States.