Ellie Smith, Cleo Smith’s mother, has appeared almost unrecognizable on national television two years after her daughter’s abduction.
Cleo, then four, made international headlines when she was snatched from a tent on October 16, 2021, while sleeping with her mother, stepfather and baby sister at the Blowholes campsite, near Carnarvon, about 600 miles north of Perth.
The little girl was held captive by Terence Darrell Kelly, 37, and locked alone in a bedroom at his home for 18 days before Western Australia police rescued her in a nighttime raid.
Since then, Mrs. Smith has undergone quite a makeover, sporting a slimmer physique and a head of bleach blonde hair in recent months.
Viewers could barely recognize Ms Smith when she resurfaced on Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes on May 14 with fiancé Jake Gliddon for an exclusive interview.
Ellie Smith, Cleo Smith’s mother, has appeared almost unrecognizable on national television two years after her daughter’s abduction. Mrs. Smith is pictured on the left at 60 minutes in February 2022 and again on the right at 60 minutes on May 14, 2023
Cleo (pictured), then four, made international headlines when she was snatched from a tent on October 16, 2021, sleeping with her mother, stepfather and baby sister at the Blowholes campsite, near Carnarvon, about 600 miles north from Perth
With her thick blonde locks falling over her shoulders, contoured makeup and bronze spray tan, the former brunette looked decidedly different from her last appearance on 60 Minutes in February 2022.
Ms. Smith and her partner reportedly paid $2 million to sit down with 60 Minutes host Tara Brown for the worldwide exclusive television interview last February.
The exorbitant cost of the sit-down, which was filmed via video chat due to Covid lockdowns, drew criticism from industry insiders.
With her thick blonde locks falling over her shoulders, contoured make-up and bronze spray tan, the former brunette looked decidedly different from her last appearance on 60 Minutes in February 2022. Ms. Smith is pictured left on 60 Minutes in February 2022, and again right on 60 Minutes on May 14, 2023
“This kind of money can not only employ dozens of journalists, but is also enough to run several programs,” said a senior television executive. The Australian at the time.
At the time, Steve Allen, Pearman Media’s director of strategy and research, told News Corp that he was shocked by the high price of the interview.
“For the family, for the reported amount, even under the harrowing circumstances, they are now richer than they could have ever imagined,” he said.
The little girl was held captive by Terence Darrell Kelly, 37, and locked alone in a bedroom at his home for 18 days before Western Australia police rescued her in a nighttime raid. Pictured are Mrs. Smith and Cleo after her rescue on November 9, 2011
Ms Smith (left) and stepfather Jake Gliddon (right) were at the District Court of WA in Perth on April 5, 2023 for the conviction of the man who kidnapped their little girl
“There must have been more than one media outlet chasing this exclusive to go that high. [It] must have been fierce competition.’
Ms Smith and her partner, Mr Gliddon, returned to 60 Minutes on Sunday for a follow-up interview, a month after Kelly was jailed for 13 and a half years after pleading guilty to the kidnapping.
During the last 60 Minutes interview, Ms. Smith’s panicked call to triple-0 and police bodycam of the ailing mother was broadcast in tears for the first time after officers arrived at the remote campground.
On April 5, Kelly was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to the kidnapping.
Mrs Smith and Mr Gliddon made a surprise appearance at Kelly’s sentencing in WA court.
Judge Julie Wager described the fear, suffering and trauma inflicted on Cleo and her parents as “immeasurable.”
Sentencing judge Julie Wager described the fear, suffering and trauma inflicted on Cleo and her parents as “immeasurable”
“Eighteen days with no contact or explanation, and with hours completely alone and with no access to the outside world, would have been very traumatic,” the judge said.
Kelly’s legal team has since appealed the lengthy sentence he was handed after he admitted to forcibly detaining a child under the age of 16 in January 2022.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), meanwhile, confirmed it would not appeal the sentence asking for an increase because it was not “insufficient”.
Terence Darrell Kelly (pictured during his arrest) was sentenced last month to more than 10 years in prison, but his lawyers are appealing the length of the sentence
Cleo’s dramatic rescue was captured by an officer’s body-worn camera and broadcast around the world.
Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the strength of the evidence against Kelly likely influenced his early admission of guilt.
“For me as a commissioner, this is number 1 – this is the biggest story in the history of the Western Australian Police Force,” he told reporters.
Police launched a major investigation after Cleo’s mother woke up to find the girl missing from the family tent at the Blowholes campsite, north of Carnarvon. Mrs Smith and Mr Gliddon are depicted on Channel Seven’s Flashpoint before Cleo was found
“The police investigation was meticulous… the information we had and the evidence we gathered was exceptional.”
Police launched a major investigation after Cleo’s mother woke up to find the girl missing from the family tent at the Blowholes campsite, north of Carnarvon.
More than 100 officers were assigned to the task force and investigators processed thousands of calls to Crime Stoppers.
Surveillance footage of motels and children’s clothing stores within a 600-mile radius of the campground was searched, and forensic officers searched more than 50 cubic meters of trash from roadside bins.
The state government, meanwhile, offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Cleo’s whereabouts.
Kelly has appealed his sentence