BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Desiree looked at the check, and then the stack of books. The check. The books. Maybe she was taking the long route by attending college. She had made thousands of dollars from one commercial, and was still making money from it three years later. And it wasn’t as though she didn’t have opportunities to work in the industry now. Her family was a Hollywood success story. Her father, Hubie Kerns, was an actor, stunt man and stunt coordinator. Just one of a long list of famous TV shows that bore his credits was "Batman," where he worked as a stunt double for Adam West. Desiree’s mother, Dorismae Kerns, was a publicity writer for MGM. Her client and good friend, Elizabeth Taylor, was godmother to Desiree’s brother, Hubie Junior. Certain that her family would help her navigate the family business, Desiree quit college, moved back to California and enrolled in an acting class. “Dad,” Desiree said, “I want to be a stunt woman.” He laughed. It wasn’t a mean laugh. Just a spontaneous, unplanned response. “What?” “Desiree, you’re too fat.” Shocked, Desiree looked down at her body. Sure, she’d packed on some extra weight sitting in college classes all day. But, fat? Not compared to most women. That was the problem. As a stunt double, she had to be the same size as the actresses starring in the movies. Desiree pulled on her tennis shoes and went out for a long, exhausting run. From then on, she ran every day. She trained for and ran marathons, while starving herself. Her body became as lean and lithe as the Hollywood stars. Even then, she couldn’t make herself stop running. The word fat kept her pounding the pavement, mile after mile. She pushed herself to run more marathons. She starved herself, bingeing and purging to make sure her body stayed lean—hoping no one suspected her secret. Especially her father. Ever since he’d become a Christian, he’d gone a little overboard about God. He even headed the Hollywood chapter of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Association. He worried about Desiree’s spiritual life, praying for her every day. Desiree wished he’d just stop and realize that she was very spiritual. So far she’d tried Science of Mind, Hare Krishna and numerous New Age religions. Although, to be honest, she hadn’t found anything that helped her kick anorexia and bulimia. The Power of Prayer “I walked into my acting class one day and met a fellow student by the name of Mel Ayres,” Desiree remembers. “I took one look at him and decided that he was the man I would marry. Even if he did carry a big black Bible around. I tried to get his attention but he didn’t notice. “My cousin was a Christian and he invited me to visit his church. I wouldn’t have gone, but his church was in Westwood and I’d heard that Mel attended a church there. Just in case it was the same one, I agreed to go. We walked into the sanctuary and the first thing I saw was Mel down front with his hands in the air. “During worship, for the first time in my life, I experienced the presence of God. Nothing had prepared me for that. I wept and cried and invited Jesus into my heart. Once I was born again, Mel was very interested! “On our second date, Mel planned on taking me to Dr. Fred Price’s church, the Crenshaw Christian Center, but his car broke down. My dad really wanted me to date a Christian, so he drove all over Los Angeles to pick us up and take us to the church. “Mel and I went back the following week and I received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. On May 23, 1982, Mel and I eloped to Las Vegas and got married. Afterward, we realized that our families and friends were going to be very disappointed. We didn’t tell anyone we were married, just that we were engaged. Back home, my mother started planning our wedding. Eventually she learned the truth when she found a copy of our marriage license under my bed. On Sept. 17, 1982, we flew in the same minister who had married us in Las Vegas, to marry us a second time. He was Spirit filled and we loved him. BVOV : 21

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