Abbie Chatfield has finally confirmed a long-standing rumour, admitting she once accepted money in exchange for tipping off the paparazzi about her whereabouts.
The 30-year-old made the bombshell confession on the latest episode of her It’s A Lot podcast, revealing she pocketed $1,000 for setting up a staged photo opportunity shortly after appearing on The Bachelor in 2019.
‘When I was fresh out of The Bachelor I was dating The Bachelorette’s Todd [King] , and we set up with some paparazzi to take photos of us at the beach,’ Abbie began.
‘We were going anyway, and it was $1,000! We thought, “Yeah, that will pay for flights from Perth”.’
Abbie explained the photoshoot was coordinated through a journalist, who acted as a go-between and passed on the location details to a photographer in Queensland.
‘It was done through a journalist, who told the paparazzi where we were going to be. I have done it once for money, because I still had a nine-to-five and $1,000 is a lot of money,’ she added.
Abbie Chatfield has finally confirmed a long-standing rumour, admitting she once accepted money in exchange for tipping off the paparazzi about her whereabouts
‘We were going to go to the beach anyway, so if you are doing it for money, then go off, queen!’ she continued.
The staged photos were taken at Noosa Beach in October 2019 and captured Abbie in a skimpy two-piece, passionately kissing her then-rumoured love interest Todd King.
The media personality has long faced speculation about tipping off paparazzi.
Last year, Abbie rubbished suggestions she frequently ‘tips off’ the paparazzi about her whereabouts to ensure good photos.
The influencer shared a blistering video to TikTok in which she admitted she had alerted the paparazzi to her whereabouts before – but clarified it was not a regular occurrence.
‘I think it is funny that people are so angry about people who call the paps on themselves,’ Abbie began.
‘It’s f**king weird to do it when you are going on a walk, like who gives a f**k? I would never call the paps for photos of me walking the dog!’
However, she added that she believed it was okay for celebrities to alert press photographers about their whereabouts if the money from the snaps was split between them.
Abbie made the bombshell confession on the latest episode of her It’s A Lot podcast, revealing she pocketed $1,000 for setting up a staged photo opportunity with The Bachelorette’s Todd King. Pictured
The staged photos were taken at Noosa Beach October 2019 and captured Abbie in a skimpy two-piece
‘I don’t think it is an evil thing to do because people can have autonomy over the photos taken of them. The reason why paps are creepy is because it isn’t consensual,’ she said.
‘If you can get paid for it, why not? The reason why I did it with my boyfriend at the time is the money. I wouldn’t do it again unless it was for a lot of money.’
Meanwhile, Ben McDonald, CEO of Matrix Media Group, told Daily Mail in 2024 that many celebrities had a working relationship with the paparazzi as a means of controlling their image.
He said that throughout his career he had developed working relationships with all kinds of celebrities, including Hollywood A-Listers and reality stars.
