Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has revealed the extent of her mental struggle in prison in a new interview.
Appearing on the Kyle and Jackie O Show Schapelle described moments of delusion she endured while in prison, such as chasing imaginary ducks in the hope of finding water and then a boat, as well as hearing birds speaking to her and telling her what to do.
WATCH: Schapelle Corby breaks down on LIVE radio
Schapelle said she had been “listening to the birds chirping.”
“The birds would tell me to stop speaking,” Schapelle said, explaining that when a psychologist visited, the voices would tell her to be silent.
“The birds were telling me ‘You can’t let them know anything,'” she said.
Schapelle said she had experienced a catatonic state where she could not eat, drink or speak following her father’s death.
She had to be spoon fed, and described not even being able to swallow the food without assistance.
Her sister, Mercedes Corby – who occasionally stayed over in her sister’s cell due to her fears for her sibling- revealed Schapelle was once found on the roof of the prison “looking for ducks.”
“I was inside the cavity of the roof,” Schapelle said.
“I could hear ducks, and I thought, if I heard the ducks, there must be water,” she added.
Speaking to hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson, Schapelle addressed rumours she would start as the next Bachelorette on the popular Channel 10 program, only saying ‘Never say never,’ about the suggestion- although she added that she is happy with her boyfriend, Ben Panangian.
Schapelle, who was convicted of smuggling 4.2 kilograms of cannabis into Indonesia, first met Panangian at a church service in Kerobokan Prison in 2006.
Panangian is unable to enter Australia due to his criminal record, which has complicated matters for the couple.
Schapelle is able to return to Indonesia if she chooses but doesn’t feel “ready” doing so yet.
Instead, she and Ben meet in countries where visas are not required, for just “two precious weeks a year.”
On air promoting the updated version of her book, My Story, the 42-year-old also opened up about her first observations stepping on to home soil.
She was surprised by changes in Australia – such as the amount of plastic in supermarkets- when she returned to home after her lengthy prison stay in Bali.
“There was a lot of plastic,” Schapelle “Plastic in the supermarkets.’
She also highlighted the rise of smartphones, saying she now uses a Samsung- a far cry from the Nokia phone she used to ‘play snake’ while in Indonesia.
