Cassandra Sainsbury working hard to change Australia’s opinion on her

Cassandra Sainsbury served her time – three years in a brutal Colombian prison after being caught with a suitcase containing 5.8kg of cocaine in 2017. Now she is ready to step away from the nickname that has haunted her for the past six years.

Cassandra Sainsbury is desperate to ditch the moniker, Cocaine Cassie.

She served her time – three years in a brutal Colombian prison after being caught with a suitcase containing 5.8kg of cocaine in 2017.

Now, with her reality television debut days away, the 28-year-old personal trainer is ready to step away from the nickname that has haunted her for the past six years.

“I guess I wanted to unmask what everyone thought of me really, show them the most raw version of someone,” Sainsbury told The Daily Telegraph.

“In everything I have been portrayed as this cold, conniving person who wouldn’t know right from left, who makes up a different story every time someone talks to me. I really wanted to just be myself. It is going to show people that I am human and that it doesn’t define me.”

Sainsbury said she wanted to show Australia her authentic self. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Sainsbury is one of 14 contestants set to compete on the new season of SAS Australia that will premiere on Seven on October 9.

She agreed to participate in a bid to shed the nickname, and reputation, that came with her lengthy stint in jail.

“For so long I have allowed my past to define my life and I never wanted that,” she said. “I tried to hide from it and I think since the show I have really stepped out of the shadow and back myself in whatever decisions I am doing now.”
SAS Australia sees contestants compete in a brutally rigorous special forces style selection course.

The new season was shot in the Middle East and also includes the likes of Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, former Bachelor star Tim Robards and actor Zima Anderson in the cast.

Sainsbury was part of the cast which shot the series in the Middle East.

Sainsbury returned to live in Adelaide from Colombia with IT technician wife Tatiana last year.

She has struggled to find work with her ‘Cocaine Cassie’ reputation constantly hanging over her head and has recently launched an online fitness program, Cassie Leigh Fitness.

“I didn’t go on there trying to be someone I am not or trying to win people over, I went on to be myself and try and get a little bit of the real me out there among all of the bad stuff and just deal with my own personal issues as well,” she explained, adding that the experience was triggering at times.

Sainsbury said she went on SAS Australia to be herself.

“I know what I did was wrong and I think one thing that I never wanted was to carry on or put on a show to make people feel sorry for me. I went through it, I’ve dealt with it and I literally just want to be a normal person living a normal life.”

As to the future, she is looking forward to one day becoming a mother.

“We are wanting to start a family but we just don’t know when,” she said. “For me, the most important thing to start with is having stability so that is probably still a little while away.”