Disgraced former footballer Arabella Del Busso has been pictured outside prison for the first time days after she walked free as she prepares to take on a new podcast deal.
Del Busso was seen with burly former British enforcer Neil ‘The Muscle’ Cummins, who has a podcast Secrets of the underworld which featured ‘Cocaine Cassie’ Sainsbury and former sex worker Kim Hollingsworth.
Del Busso, who is most famous for faking pregnancies with former NRL star Josh Reynolds, could be seen smiling and hugging the 122kg, 6ft 4in bodybuilder on a Melbourne street.
Dressed in an Aje Athletica T-shirt and ripped jeans that showed off her heavily tattooed thighs and carrying a $2,159 Goyard bag, the former lingerie model appeared to be basking in the sunshine after serving time behind bars.
The 34-year-old fled south across the New South Wales border early last Friday into Victoria, where she lives with her builder lover, James Warwick, who is also heavily tattooed.
Del Busso, a common thief rather than a gangland figure, is expected to speak on Cummins’ podcast about her alleged degrading and terrifying experiences behind bars.
While in Dillwynia Women’s Correctional Centre in Sydney’s western end, Del Busso reported being threatened with a prison-made knife, invasive body searches and humiliating experiences in the shower and bathroom.
The claims, which formed part of Del Busso’s bid for early release from jail, were almost all denied by NSW Corrective Services.
Disgraced former footballer Arabella Del Busso has been photographed for the first time outside prison days after being released from prison after serving a sentence for robbery.
Del Busso was seen with burly former British enforcer Neil Cummins, who hosts a podcast Secrets of the Underworld, which previously featured ‘Cocaine Cassie’ Sainsbury and former sex worker Kim Hollingsworth.
The prison warden took the unusual step of issuing a statement about her, saying that “the inmate’s claims… are not true.”
Del Busso, who is known to have used 11 aliases including Bella Donna Di Donato and her real name, Donna Preusker, walked free from prison with no parole restrictions hanging over her.
She has just served five months in prison for stealing money from her employer while working as a receptionist.
The aspiring boxer was jailed for stealing $52,350 from a small Sydney medical practice between September 2019 and February 2020.
While working as a receptionist at Rheumatology Specialist Care, she hatched a scheme to steal tens of thousands of dollars from its practices in Kogarah and Randwick in Sydney’s south.
In April, after Del Busso asked for a reduction in her maximum 20-month prison sentence, New South Wales District Court Judge John Pickering ruled it was impractical to impose community orders if she left the state.
Del Busso hugs Neil Cummins, who plans to feature her on his podcast, Secrets of the Underworld, and Del Busso (right) in typical social media images she has now sworn to stay away from.
Dressed in an Aje Athletica top and ripped jeans that showed off her heavily tattooed thighs and carrying a $2,159 Goyard bag, the former lingerie model (above with her arm around the podcaster) appeared to be basking in the sunshine after spending time behind bars.
However, Del Busso’s tearful pleas that she had been punished enough because of the extensive and critical media coverage of her case prompted a sharp rebuke.
After faking pregnancy twice in front of Reynolds, she gave a paid interview on 60 Minutes about them and then went on to SAS Australia. as a contestant, before fleeing the television show in tears when questioned about lying.
At the New South Wales District Court hearing in April to appeal the severity of his 20-month sentence Judge Pickering imposed the prison sentence on Del Busso’s lawyer, Jehane Ghabrial, when she tried to argue “extra punishment” or a trial by the media as a mitigating factor.
“She has been honest and has moved on. She has appeared on a reality show and on national television,” Judge Pickering said.
“Nobody forced her to join the SAS.”
When Ms Ghabrial replied: “Just because someone appears on national television doesn’t mean they’re inviting people to destroy their lives… it’s like having a wound that’s continually open,” Judge Pickering disagreed.
“That’s debatable,” he said. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re looking for? In a case that’s dominating the media right now, in the case of Mr. (Bruce) Lehrmann, that’s exactly what you get.
‘SAS… It’s the kind of show that people look for to boost their profile. She has also tried to exploit it for her own profile.’
Del Busso has a new boyfriend who has promised to support her after her sentence ends
Ms Ghabrial said: “This is an issue that has nothing to do with Josh Reynolds. The media… keep bringing it up… there is excessive coverage of it.”
Once again, Judge Pickering disagreed: “The reality is that these are dishonest offences and there are aspects of that story that are dishonest.”
Judge Pickering also referred to Del Busso’s social media pages, where the former prisoner had posted dozens of images of herself wearing skimpy underwear and displaying her extensive tattoos.
She has now given up social media, with the support of her new partner.
Ms Del Busso’s boyfriend, Mr Warwick, issued a statement to the court describing his lover as ‘kind, supportive and caring’.
The builder, who is in his 30s, said in a sworn statement: “I feel that people do not know the real Arabella Del Busso.”
‘The Bella I’ve come to love is the most caring, genuine, down-to-earth, selfless person I’ve ever met from a relationship perspective.’
The Secrets of the Underworld podcast is available on Apple and describes itself as ‘not for the faint-hearted, an in-depth and real look at Sydney’s underworld and the real Kings Cross between 1998 and 2013’.
Neil Cummins left his “gangster” life behind after being sentenced for “demanding with menace” and intimidation, but avoided jail in 2019.