Candy Loving

By 1981, she realized the celebrity life was not for her, so she reenrolled at the University of Oklahoma at the age of 25 to finish her bachelor's degree in journalism, and then began a Master of Arts degree in human relations. She continued to perform publicity duties for the magazine during her studies and after, but began phasing out of that lifestyle. The Playboy life had taken its toll on her marriage and she later met Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Dave Reavis when both were judging a beauty pageant. She followed him to Tampa in July 1983. Even though this relationship did not last, she remained in Southern Florida, working in the healthcare industry designing benefit packages for companies. She is no longer married but is the mother of one daughter who graduated from college in May 2013.

In 1978, the Playboy magazine began a yearlong nationwide Great Playmate Hunt for its 25th-anniversary publication. Candy was working in a dress shop and as a waitress when she saw the ad in the paper. At the urging of her then husband, Candy entered the contest and photographer Dwight Hooker shot the test photos of her. Seven months later the 22-year-old college student beat out more than 3,500 other models with her natural beauty, girl-next-door looks and name that seemed almost fabricated for a playmate. Her centerfold came out in the January 1979 issue. That year, she took advantage of her celebrity status and moved out to California to pursue acting and modeling. She traveled the world as the ambassador of Playboy magazine. In 2001, the readers of Playboy would vote her the runner-up for "the sexiest Playmate of the 1970s."

Candy Loving (born Candis Loving September 4, 1956, in Oswego, Kansas) is an American model. She was Playboy's Playmate of the Month for the January 1979 issue, which made her the magazine's 25th Anniversary Playmate. Her centerfold was photographed by Dwight Hooker.

Candy was born Candis Loving in Oswego, Kansas, on September 4, 1956 and moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, at the age of three with her mother and four siblings. She graduated from Ponca City High School in 1974 and married Ron Prather. She then enrolled in a journalism major at University of Oklahoma.