Lauren Pacheco who shot to fame after mystery illness and loves eye-popping selfies

GOLF influencer Lauren Pacheco’s journey to stardom has not been a easy one.

The social media star, 32, was pursuing a career in Hollywood when she was struck down by a mystery illness.

Pacheco’s mix of golfing content and fitness tips have seen her compared to influencer queen Paige Spiranac.

A native of Salinas, California, Pacheco was drawn to the bright lights of Los Angeles as a teenager.

She moved to LA at the age of just 18, hoping to make it big as an actress.

But while enrolled at a community college to help pay her bills, a mystery illness turned Pacheco’s life upside down.

She revealed to the New York Post: “I wanted to act, that’s why I moved to LA, and then I was just really sick the whole time.

“It was really hard for me to go to auditions, get out [and about] and do stuff, like hanging out with my friends.

“I was stuck in my apartment a lot of the time. I went to a lot of doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

“I just had a lot of stomach issues and I had an auto-immune disease. There was just a lot of stuff piling up.”

After numerous medications failed to cure her ailments, Pacheco changed course and started taking care of her nutrition.

She said: “I would go to doctors and they would be like, ‘Take this pill, take that pill’.

“I didn’t want to keep taking medication, I wanted them to tell me what was wrong.

“So I basically just took it into my own hands and started researching nutrition. I would just be on my computer every day for hours, and reading books. I had to get control of this situation.

“Studying and reading brought me to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I got my health coaching certification — and I just healed myself through diet and supplements.”

Pacheco was still chasing her acting dream when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in early 2020.

She took to social media to stem the boredom and quickly formed a growing fanbase who were interested in her golfing exploits.

The influencer now boasts 150k followers on Instagram, combining her glamourous selfies with updates on her golf game.

Pacheco grew up in a golfing family, with her father and brother keen players.

She got lessons during the pandemic and has recently been trying to get her scores below 90.

Lauren is engaged but keeps her husband-to-be firmly behind the camera.

The pair expect to wed in 2023 and currently reside in Laguna Beach.

Pacheco continued: “I feel like I struggled a lot when I was in my twenties, but I have always felt very blessed.

“I know it’s been crazy, but I’m just one of those people that [believes] everything happens for a reason.

“I don’t really have any regrets in my life because I always feel like whatever has happened to me has brought me to whatever is next, which is usually something great or even if it starts out bad.

“This career path brought me to my fiancee.”