'Lori has no choice but to hang in there.'
Lori Loughlin "feels very much alone" amid the college admissions scandal, a source tells ET.
The 54-year-old Fuller House star and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters, 19-year-old Olivia and 20-year-old Bella, admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits for the crew team, even though neither of them participated in the sport. They have pleaded not guilty on all charges.
"While a few friends have stuck by her side, many others have cut her off," the source claims. "She still feels it’s a huge misunderstanding, but seeing others be sentenced has scared her."
"She is watching the reduced sentences of those who have taken plea deals, and wondering each day if she’s made the wrong decision," the source adds of Loughlin, who, along with Giannulli, reportedly rejected an initial plea deal.
The source also notes that "Lori has no choice but to hang in there and do the best she can."
"She is trying to live a normal everyday life and to take this time to stay strong but it isn’t easy. Lori doesn’t have the support she once had. She is feeling a 'fall from grace' having had a persona as a wholesome mom and now being seen as a pariah," the source says. "People keep giving Lori a hard time for being out and about and looking carefree, but she realizes that she might end up in prison and this might just be her last months of freedom for some time."
"This has been such a tough time for her, she has had good days and bad but right now the reality that she is facing jail becomes more real," the source adds of Loughlin who, a source previously told ET, believes she "doesn't deserve" jail time for her alleged involvement in the scandal.
Meanwhile, the source says, Olivia has gotten back together with Jackson Guthy, her boyfriend who, ET previously reported, she split with last month.
"Olivia is seeking support from her friends," the source says of the YouTube star. "She and her boyfriend have reconciled for the time and spending time with him helps to separate her from the situation."
A previous source told ET that Olivia's friends were "shocked" by her split with her beau, whom she was linked to before the scandal.
"Olivia’s friends were shocked when her relationship ended with her boyfriend because he was actually great for her and was a real support," the source said. "He's pretty low-key and wanted to help her stay out of the limelight and move on."
As for Olivia's relationship with her mom, a source told ET last month that things are still on shaky ground.
“Olivia is having a very hard time dealing with this, and for the most part, she's cut herself off from her mother and is going out and partying a lot," the source said. "She feels she hasn't been a part of any wrongdoing and feels tricked by her parents into going to a school that wasn't even her top choice. Right now she wants to prove she can do it on her own, and she thinks going back to school will help renew her image.”
“[But] Lori and Bella have remained incredibly close throughout and have been a wonderful support to one another," the source added of Loughlin's older daughter. "Their closest friends feel it's been devastating to watch the effects this situation has had on their family and their relationships. They fear if their plan doesn't work in court, it will break them up even more."
Watch the video below for more on the scandal.
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