'Cocaine Cassie' Sainsbury was offered a six-figure salary to appear on the newest season of SAS Australia which premiered on Monday night. 

The convicted drug smuggler, 28, moved back to Australia last year following her release from Columbia's notorious El Buen Pastor prison in 2020.

A source revealed ahead of the premiere this week that the failed gym owner is one of the 'highest paid of the cast this year', reported New Idea. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the cast, which includes footballers, reality stars and Olympians, will only take home a fraction of Cassie's salary. 

Most of the contestants will receive $30,000 for participating in the gruelling physical and psychological challenges set to them by ex-Special Forces soldiers.

'Cassie has been struggling. It's hard for her to find work... her CV isn't for everyone,' the source said. 

They went on to reveal she was 'very excited' to film the show which is hosted by Ant Middleton and took place in the Middle East this year. 

It comes after Cassie revealed she feared for her life while spending three years in a Colombian prison after she was arrested in April 2017.

At the time, she was caught attempting to leave the country with 5.8kgs of cocaine in her luggage. 

The drug trafficker-turned-fitness influencer said she was stabbed and beaten multiple times by fellow inmates.

While discussing her appearance on the new season of SAS Australia on Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie, she said: '[SAS] was nothing that I expected. 

'Obviously everyone goes into SAS thinking it's not hard instantly but I was transported straight back to prison.'

Host Ryan Fitzgerald asked: 'Were there moments where you feared for your life in prison?'

'Definitely. I had a lot of beatings. I got beaten up a lot. I got stabbed. I got two stab marks on my arms where I was stabbed,' Cassie responded.

Cassie was sentenced to six years behind bars at El Buen Pastor prison for attempted smuggling, but only served three before she was released on parole for two years.