With freshly-dyed red hair and a beaming smile, Paris Jackson looks like an entirely different girl from the dark, troubled teen who attempted to take her own life earlier this summer.
Indeed, just 77 days after the teen’s overwhelming depression became too much to bear and she slit her wrists with a meat cleaver, Michael Jackson‘s daughter is clearly well on her way to making a courageous comeback.
These exclusive photos obtained by RadarOnline.com show a happier and healthier Paris, who is benefitting from her time at a private therapeutic boarding school in Utah, where she has been living since mid-July under the pseudonym “Frankie.”
The first images of the teen since her troubling June 5 suicide attempt will also provide relief to fans who have been left to wonder about Paris’ mental state since she was hospitalized unconscious after succumbing to the demons she’s been battlingsince her dad’s fatal 2009 overdose.
Paris was snapped on July 18 at the school’s graduation ceremony – surrounded by newfound friends who have shared similar struggles, as they bid farewell some of the school’s alumni.
“Paris was high in spirits,” an onlooker told RadarOnline.com, revealing that she wore bracelets to cover the scars from where she slashed her wrists.
The occasion marked the first time she has been seen in public since the suicide bid, when she had cropped brown hair and a distinct gothic look.
But it’s not just her hairstyle that’s changed: At the luxurious and rural school (which RadarOnline.com has chosen not to name to protect her privacy), Paris has decided to live under a nom de plume, in a bid to make an unremarkable return to a more normal life.
“Paris wanted to come into the school without fanfare, so she decided to change her name, to Frankie,” a source revealed. “She also dyed her hair. Some students still know who she is, but overall, most don’t. She’s just another girl from Los Angeles named Frankie. In many ways, it’s a new life for Paris.”
Paris’ new home bills itself as a residential treatment facilities for troubled teen girls with various problems. Surrounded by breathtaking mountain views and soaring plains, it’s a far cry from Paris’ hectic life under the microscope in Los Angeles.
Her tuition, which can cost up to $14,000 per month, includes lodging in a home with up to 10 other girls who are overseen by a house parent.
Those real-life interactions are the extent of her social life these days. On campus, Paris is largely being shielded from the internet and social media, as her grandmother Katherine has been convinced that Paris will have a relapse if she continues to read cruel taunts directed at her and her late pop superstar dad Michael.
And the school agrees. “There are three levels of privileges at the school,” the source explained. “Because Paris has only been there for a brief period, she is still on ‘daily’, meaning that she has to earn her privileges through a point count system for such things as good behavior, doing your homework, punctuality.
“Those privileges are television time, internet, access to the phone, socializing with girls from the other homes on campus. As a result, Paris’ access to social media is limited.”
“Like every school, this venue has a curriculum that students undertake,” the insider said. “The students also undergo group therapy and one-on-one sessions with therapists each day.”
Added the source: “She has been doing very well. She is very high in spirits.”
“She hasn’t sailed through this crisis but she is doing much better and with the help of those around her at the school, she’s on the mend.
“Paris is relieved she survived the suicide attempt. She really did cheat death.”
Nice to know she is smiling. Hopefully, she continues on this path.
