A Sydney socialite who spent eight months in a prison cell is now hoping to make up for her crimes by supporting women who have found themselves in her shoes.
Annabel Walker spent eight months behind bars after being jailed for fraud and deception in September 2020.
The 33-year-old extorted about $26,000 from those closest to her including her friends and boyfriend.
She defrauded her former employer, hotel operator Australian Leisure Group, out of $17,000.
Walker, who once wore designer clothes, said she now treasures a cheap white singlet she bought in prison using her $16 weekly wage, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Former Sydney socialite Annabel Walker has opened up on what her life is like after spending eight months in prison for fraud and deception
'I can't throw it out because I worked hard for these singlets. It reminds me of how excited and proud of myself I was when I got it,' she said.
Walker spent a stint at Silverwater women's jail but served the majority of her sentence at Dillwynia Correctional Centre.
She says she believed prison was the only way she was going to 'set myself straight'.
Surrounded by women convicted of terrifying crimes, Walker watched on in horror as inmates got into violent fights or took drugs.
'You're with some people who aren't stable and I think that's probably the scariest thing because everything is heightened,' she said.
'And that's one of the hardest things because you never feel safe.'
She said she quickly had to get used to a lack of privacy, recalling a fellow inmate holding up towels around her so she could shower without being filmed.
Instead of dining at fancy restaurants as she did before her stint in jail, Walker lived off crackers and tuna as she struggled to stomach the meals provided to her.
Despite once living in a prison cell, Walker said it was her release back into society that was harder.
She said she was overwhelmed with anxiety about the judgement she received having been a former inmate.
She secured a rental property to live in but getting
