Isabelle Deltore: The prison officer who became a porn star

Isabelle Deltore from Melbourne used to work in the Victorian prison system. Photo / Isabelle Deltore

Facing off against global competition was hard work, admits Melburnian Isabelle Deltore. But winning Miss Nude World 2018 was just the confirmation she needed that a drastic career change had all been worth it.

She's now a "nude glamour babe and webcam model", but just a few years ago Ms Deltore had a very different profession as an officer locking up men at some of Australia's toughest prisons.

Talking to news.com.au on the sidelines of the recent Sexpo event in Sydney, where she was performing and selling merchandise, Ms Deltore said she left the prison service for porn because she was "being objectified" by the criminals, reports news.com.au.

Money wise, and in terms of self-esteem, she said she's never looked back.

"I do pornography, but the technical term is 'erotica' because I only do solo and girl on girl but I don't do boy girl stuff and it's that which crosses it over to pornography. But the industry is so small so quite often we don't differentiate between erotica and pornography."

Rather than men looking at her — as they do now in their droves on stage and online — she was once the one keeping a beady eye on the blokes.

"I was a screw, an officer, in youth justice and I was in maximum security for five years. I was in the army reserves as well."

But the grind of working in the prison system, and the office politics, wore down Ms Deltore.

Isabelle Deltore is a regular at Sexpo adult events. Photo / Isabelle Deltore

"I was very good at what I did but I was constantly fighting to move up the chain and I was never going to win," she said.

"I was just sick of the violence, sick of the sexual innuendo; I was constantly being objectified and was like 'why not make money out of (being objectified)'?

"I couldn't figure out what I was going to do so I decided to be a secret stripper until I could get another job with my degree. But I just liked stripping too much."

The vastly increased remuneration she received at famous strip club Spearmint Rhino also focused her mind.

"This is definitely more lucrative. I wasn't on the (prison) roster, I'd done my last shift, and then I went into Spearmint Rhino and made what I would have made into two weeks in one night.

"At 4am, I sent the prison an email saying I resign. I was like, see you later."

Ms Deltore has been the cover story of porn mags, has her own products such as calendars, and is a XXX webcam star. For a $100 you can even buy some one-on-one nude Skype time with her.

Ms Deltore from Melbourne won the Miss Nude World 2018. Photo / Isabelle Deltore

"With my current line of work everyone knows what's on the table. If they want to buy a lap dance, well here are the boundaries, we're exchanging money for it so it's very out in the open.

"Previously I would complain if I had some officer or prisoner make a pass at me. Now I'm much happier and my self-esteem has increased."

But being a prison officer has taught her a few lessons, she said, including managing her time and being disciplined. And she knows how to handle the frisky fingers of over excited punters.

"I was managing units of 20-40 inmates and staff so I know how to deal with people who are a little bit difficult, how to be assertive without being aggressive.

"And it's the same dealing with blokes; you be honest and go this is the line. You will sometimes get an 'ah but' from one, but my response is 'no I'm not dealing with your buts mate'."

Erotic photography is a big change from locking up prisoners. Photo / Isabelle Deltore

That discipline and assertiveness has helped her nab the Miss Nude World crown twice now, once in 2015 and again this year.

"I don't know when to stop working. I will set goals and I will do everything I can to achieve them to the detriment of everything else.

"When I wanted to win Miss Nude World I tried for months. I had to learn aerial hoop from scratch so one of my trainers was from Cirque du Soleil and it was 30 hours a week as well as dance classes, choreography and costume making. It almost cost me my relationship because I was overly focused.

"Miss Nude World is not just about doing the pole and taking your clothes off. You have to be an all-round show girl; you're judged on if you have that pizzazz factor. I had some massive props including a two metre high horse that spun on a disc and spat water out of its nose," she said.

"I'm not even joking; it's for sale if anyone wants it."

Ms Deltore performed one of her Miss Nude World shows at Sexpo in Sydney, the adult event that travels to Adelaide in August. She said she loved appearing on stage but her performances, some of which have a Mad Max theme, can be tiring.

There's no time to "Netflix and chill" says Isabelle Deltore. Photo / Isabelle Deltore

"It can be so busy and everyone wants a piece of you, at times I can feel like a packet of Maccas chips in a car park with seagulls all over it. You're like 'please I just need a minute to myself'."

In her downtime, she meditates, practices her archery skills and is looking forward to an addition to the family: "I have a Clydesdale horse and she's in foal so we're all waiting."

What about kicking back with Netflix and having a chill? Ms Deltore laughed: "I usually Netflix and pass out because I'm so exhausted."

Despite being in the erotic industry for five years now, once in a while she comes face-to-face with her previous career.

"I've had (ex) prisoners come see me and say they just can't work out where they know me from," she said.

"And once I had the general manager of a prison see me when I was doing a pub show.

"He said to me, 'you seem much happier now' and I was like, 'I feel much happier now'."

Sexpo is in Adelaide from Friday 10 — Sunday 12 August