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"It Was Soul-breaking": 'Australian Idol' Star Opens Up On Fake Licence Bribe Conviction

Staff Writer

"Soul-breaking and spirit-breaking."

More Paulini Paulini

Singer Paulini Curuenavuli has opened up about the driving scandal that saw her convicted to a suspended jail sentence on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! last night. 

Back in 2017, the former Australian Idol contestant was sentenced to a six month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to bribing a government official.

The singer pleaded guilty in September to paying a Roads and Maritime Service customer service worker $850 for an unrestricted NSW driver's licence in July 2016. Court documents released in 2017 revealed that the 34-year-old held a NSW Learner's permit until March 2016 when it was suspended after she was caught driving unaccompanied.

Curuenavuli reportedly contacted RMS employee Faletausala Feesili Viafale by text message on 6 July and was told a C class unrestricted licence could be obtained for $850.

Curuenavuli has spoken about the incident on last night's episode, saying it "was soul-breaking and spirit-breaking".

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"I did something really silly," said Curuenavuli when asked what type of car she drives now by fellow contestant Robert 'Dipper' DiPierdomenico before sharing about the conviction. 

"I bribed a government official... I bought a fake licence."

“I was on my Ls, because I lost my licence and got on my Ls... And I just didn’t want to wait, so I bought a licence. 

It was soul-breaking and spirit-breaking because I was thinking about my family and how I made my family look, how I made myself look.

“I just made a really bad decision and I absolutely regret it...

"So I got a criminal record. I got a massive fine."

The singer also shared that the incident heavily affected her career, with work cancelled soon after the news broke. 

“It’s hard to make a mistake for someone who’s in the public eye because people are watching. You’ve got to keep going. You can’t let this break you. And that’s pretty much what I did. All of my gigs after Bodyguard — all cancelled.”

"I thank god I started to get work again."

I'm A Celebrity... airs on Channel 10. Find out more about this year's contestants (including a '90s pop sensation) here.