Although there are numerous early morning radio shows to listen to in Valdosta every day, one stands out for a, well, unusual mixture of hosts. Ken Collins is a long-time air personality in Valdosta, and he was joined recently on air by Michelle Manhart. The two of them are a good mix as they tease back and forth, talk to a variety of guests, and generally have a great time on the air.

“Ken is a great person and I’m so comfortable with him. We have a great time on the air!” she said.

Michelle is new to Valdosta, having come to the area with the Air Force as her husband, TSGt. Dustin Cross-Manhart. But Michelle wasn’t always a radio personality — she was once active duty military as well.





Healthy and talkative with a vibrant personality, all she wanted to do was serve in the military and support her country.

She enlisted young and joined the Air Force at 17, the day she graduated from high school. Michelle served for 14 years in a variety of positions, including as a T.I. / Training Instructor for brand new recruits. She married a fellow enlisted airman and they have two children together. And then she made the decision to pose for Playboy magazine.

“I’d always been a model and had done a lot of projects over the years, so I really didn’t think of it as a big deal,” she said. “I was over 30, the mother of two, and I’m full figured but I really take care of myself. I’m all about keeping in shape and I work out all the time, and I wanted to show young women out there that you can be older but still look good.”

Although she had a tough job in the military, Michelle says, “I can kick butt but I still want to be treated like a woman.”

Michelle said she thought that there was no problem in her chain of command about the photo shoot. “I was told not to worry about it. I cleared it first. Several of the photos they used of me (in uniform performing her job) in the magazine came from the Air Force. I had always had stellar performance evaluations and volunteered for deployments, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Posing for Playboy was a dream for Michelle and opened up a lot of doors for her in the entertainment field, although the door on her military career was closed.

“It came time for me to re-enlist and I got out with an honorable discharge after 14 years. The Air Force didn’t kick me out, although they basically took away my chance to retire,” she says.

Very supportive of her husband, who serves in the 824th Security Squadron, and of their children, Michelle gave up her time in Hollywood to move to Valdosta with her family. The last two or three years have been a whirlwind of appearances, modeling, and acting jobs, but she feels she can continue working on her career from home in South Georgia, although she wishes there were more flights from the local airport.



In all, Michelle’s photos appeared in 12 issues of Playboy internationally, and the U.S. edition is considered a collector’s item. She has appeared in nine movies so far, and has worked with directors Cedric the Entertainer and Ron Howard.

She has also accrued more than a dozen television appearances and has appeared several times on “Days of Our Lives” as Officer Parker, and she continues to appear at events for Playboy from time to time.

Describing her husband as her “solid rock” Michelle says they are just like any other family, and they are actively involved in their children’s lives — daughter Aunika Cross-Manhart, 14, and son Travis Cross-Manhart, 9.



Michelle works out daily and brags about her “8-pack” while being equally proud of the fact that both her son and daughter play numerous sports and excel in school.

“The thing I miss the most about the military is the camaraderie. And getting to shoot the guns!”

Although she misses the Air Force, Michelle has enjoyed the limelight, the travel, the opportunities to speak to young women and inspire them to be all they can be, and to spend more time with her family. And even though being in Valdosta is not as conducive to her new life in the celebrity spotlight, Michelle says that although she is sacrificing part of her dreams, “seeing my kids succeed is an even bigger dream for me.”

As for her new home, Michelle says that the few short months she has lived in Valdosta “have been fabulous. This is a great place to raise kids! And everyone is so nice here.”

Michelle and her husband recently purchased a business in town to further solidify their commitment to the community. The tanning salon formerly known as the Electric Sun will soon be California Sun and have a complete renovation.

Looking back over all the roads that have brought her to Valdosta and this place in her life, Michelle says she has no regrets.

“If I had to redo my life, I wouldn’t do anything differently!”