They're rarely seen in public but a trio of Gladys Berejiklian's closest aides will today be in the harsh glare of a corruption inquiry spotlight.
Three of the former NSW premier's former advisers will testify on Tuesday - followed on Wednesday by her former secret boyfriend, disgraced ex-Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.
If these two days reveal as much as the previous six days of testimony, then Ms Berejiklian is in for an emotional rollercoaster ride before she even gets a chance to defend herself.
On Monday, the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard her former deputy John Barilaro thought Mr Maguire was 'a pain in the a**e' and that she should have revealed their relationship as it may have been a 'conflict'.
Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) checks her phone while out for a walk in Sydney
Mr Barilaro said if he had known about the clandestine relationship between Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire, a controversial shooting centre funding proposal from the Australian Clay Target Association (ACTA) could have been handled differently.
'It's very possible because of the conflict that we would have managed it differently,' said Mr Barilaro.
Ms Berejiklian's years-long secret affair with the former Liberal MP was not revealed until a year ago when ICAC was investigating Mr Maguire.
But Ms Berejiklian's barrister, Sophie Callan SC, sought to turn the tables on Mr Barilaro on Monday afternoon, asking if he had disclosed relationships of his own.
Mr Barilaro said he 'would have' disclosed any relationships, including family links.
'What about any other intimate personal relationships?' Ms Callan asked.
'That's a hard question because my relationships are with my family,' Mr Barilaro said.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Barilaro has done anything improper in his personal or professional lives.
The ACTA shooting centre was to be located in Mr Maguire's former electorate of Wagga Wagga and he was a keen backer of it getting state funding of $5.5million.
The ICAC is investigating if Ms Berejiklian was 'liable to allow or encourage the occurrence of corrupt conduct' by Mr Maguire, with whom she was in a 'close personal relationship' between 2015 and 2018.
Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro leaves the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in Sydney on Monday, October 25, 2021
It's also looking into whether she 'exercised her official functions dishonestly or partially' by not reporting any reasonable
