Virginia Giuffre has gone from living a quiet life in her mansion along the Australian coast to what could be her deathbed.
Giuffre, 41, drew worldwide attention after claiming she was trafficked for sex to the Duke of York by the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as a teen.
The mother-of-three has now shared a post on social media saying she has just days to live after being hit by a school bus.
Before her accident, Ms Giuffre led a quiet life as one of 8,600 residents of the laid-back Ocean Reef community in North Perth.
Little did her neighbours know that she was set to receive an eye-watering sum of money in an out-of-court settlement with Prince Andrew over the accusations.
What happened in Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew?
Ms Giuffre sued the Duke of York in 2021, accusing the estranged royal of sexually assaulting her on three occasions when she was 17.
Andrew has repeatedly denied the claims, but in 2022 agreed to pay her an undisclosed sum in an out-of-court settlement.
The settlement included a ‘substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights’.
At the time, Andrew released a statement praising the ‘bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others’.
He also vowed to ‘demonstrate his regret for his association’ with Epstein by supporting the ‘fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims’.
What has Ms Giuffre been doing since the lawsuit?
Ms Giuffre effectively held the future of the Duke’s reputation at her fingertips, having regular phone and Zoom meetings with his team as the sounds of the ocean waves lapped behind her.
Her last known address was a £1,000,000 seaside property in Ocean Reef, where she lived with her husband, Robert Giuffre, and their three teenage children.
The couple have been married for 22 years, but are reportedly estranged.
Laying low in her six-bedroom home, 12 miles up the coast north of Perth, Ms Giuffre says she walks her dog, Juno, each day to unwind.
The simple act is one of her many coping methods to try to recover from the memories of her two years as a sex trafficking victim of Epstein, she said.
In a statement read at Maxwell’s trial in 2022, Ms Giuffre said she is haunted by nightmares about her past. Nightmares, she added, she fears will never stop happening.
‘In those dreams, I relive the awful things you and others did to me and the things you forced me to do,’ she said, addressing Maxwell.
Beyond dog-walking, Ms Guiffre spends her days rolling out her yoga mat to stretch, attending regular therapy sessions and taking trips into town to shop and get a haircut.
‘I’m doing as many things to clear my mind as possible so that I can be sharp and focused when it matters,’ she told The Cut in 2021.
Peace of mind is key for the campaigner, with her home also sporting a space, walk-in wardrobe, a balcony overlooking the sea and an entertainment room.
It’s a mansion a world away from her childhood, which saw her suffer homelessness after running home from the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a family friend, she told Panorama in 2019.
The mansion, lined by 10-foot-high security gates, is believed to have been funded by previous large out-of-court settlements related to Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Ms Guiffre also takes her three children – two sons in their mid to late teens, and a daughter aged 14 – to and from school as well as their after-school clubs and sporting events.
But life with Ms Guiffre as a mother can be a strange one.
‘They have friends that say, “Oh my god, is this your mum?'” Giuffre said.
‘It’s a lot for them to carry. But they’re teenagers. They’re at that prime era in life where I think it’s important to teach them about sex trafficking.’
She also runs the charity Speak Out, Act, Reclaim, or Soar.
Soar is ‘dedicated to providing a safe and empowering space for survivors of sex trafficking to reclaim their stories and stand up for themselves and each other’, according to its website.
‘I do this for victims everywhere,’ Ms Giuffe has said about her charity work.
‘I am no longer the young and vulnerable girl who could be bullied. I am now a survivor, and nobody can ever take that away from me.’
Has Ms Giuffre written a memoir?
One year after settling her lawsuit with Andrew, Ms Giuffre signed a multi-million dollar deal to write her memoir in 2023, in which she was expected an insight into the years of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Epstein.
The book, said to be 12 years in the making, would also detail her meetings with Andrew.
The memoir has not yet been published and, with Ms Giuffre’s life on the line, fears have been raised that the full details of her encounter with the Duke will never come to light.
Posting on Instagram from what could be her deathbed, she said: ‘This year has been the worst start to a new year, but I won’t bore anyone with the details but I think it important to note that when a school bus driver comes at you driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can.
‘I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.
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‘I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes. S**T in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it’s still going to be s**t at the end of the day.
‘Thank you all for being the wonderful people of the world and for being a great part of my life. Godbless you all xx Virginia’.
Her father, Sky Roberts, commented on the post, saying: ‘Virginia, my daughter, I love you and praying for you to get the correct treatment to live a long and healthy life.
‘If there is anything in this world I can do to help you, please let me know. My spirit with you now and holding your hand.’
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