Schapelle Corby denies ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ gig
Schapelle Corby isn’t appearing on “Celebrity Big Brother,” at least not anytime soon. The convicted drug smuggler has been reported to star in the UK version of the reality show, but that apparently was totally baseless.
The 39-year-old Queensland native was deported to Australia last month after serving nine years in Kerobokan Prison in Bali, Indonesia, and two years parole. Just weeks after her return to her home country, however, she has been plagued by rumours of reality show appearance.
According to various publications, Corby was in the process of applying for a visa so she could be allowed to travel and work in the UK. The show’s production company allegedly were planning to market her as “Australia’s most famous drug smuggler.”
However, her sister, Mercedes Corby, rubbished the rumours, calling them “BS reporting.” Mercedes posted an Instagram message on Sunday to laugh at the claims. Corby herself responded, saying that it’s “false news” (See embedded Instagram post below).
Corby has been gathering an increasing number of social media followers since returning in Australia. Her Instagram page has racked up over 197,000 followers, with each post having thousands of likes each. She also included the hashtag #discoverqueensland in some of her more picturesque posts.
However, if she was shooting for an endorsement deal with a Queensland tourism body, it may not be possible now. According to Courier Mail, the tourism bodies it contacted did not want to comment on the publicity Corby generates on her Instagram account. They didn’t even want to be named or linked to her in any way.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind it was understandable why. No marketing agency perhaps wants to be associated with Corby, who has for years become the poster child for Australian drug smugglers incarcerated in foreign countries. Her reputation isn’t exactly the stellar kind tourism and marketing companies are looking for.
Meanwhile, her worn parole papers have been sold to an anonymous eBay bidder for $20,100. The papers were her contribution to the children’s charity Project Rescue Children, headed by Adam Whittington. The auction began last week with a starting bidding price of just $0.99. It attracted over 100 bids before it was won.
