Ghislaine Maxwell was speaking from her 10ft by 12ft prison cell inside New York's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, where she has spent past 16 months in solitary confinement
Ms Maxwell, 59, said: 'I have not had a nutritious meal in all that time. I haven't slept without lights on – fluorescent lights that have damaged my eyes – or been allowed to sleep without constant interruptions'
She also claims that a 'friendly rat' routinely sat next to her on an open sewer as she went to the toilet
Heiress, who faces rest of her life behind bars if convicted of abusing and procuring young girls for billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein - charges she vehemently denies - claims she's stopped taking showers as 'creepy' guards stare at her

By Daphne Barak For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 22:01 GMT, 13 November 2021 | Updated: 01:15 GMT, 14 November 2021

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Ghislaine Maxwell has spoken for the first time about her 'living hell' behind bars – claiming that she has been assaulted and abused by prison guards, purposely deprived of sleep and given rotting food to eat.

In a world exclusive, Ms Maxwell, who had her £21 million bail application denied for the fourth time last week, also claims negative media coverage while she has been in custody and the deliberate withholding of evidence have made it 'impossible' for her to receive a fair trial.

Speaking from her 10ft by 12ft prison cell inside New York's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, where she has spent the past 16 months in solitary confinement, Ms Maxwell said: 'I have been assaulted and abused for almost a year and a half.

'I have not had a nutritious meal in all that time. I haven't slept without lights on – fluorescent lights that have damaged my eyes – or been allowed to sleep without constant interruptions.

'I am weak, I am frail. I have no stamina. I am tired. I don't even have shoes which fit properly. They feed me rotten food. One apple had maggots in it. I have not been allowed to exercise.' Speaking from her 10ft by 12ft prison cell inside New York's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, where she has spent the past 16 months in solitary confinement, Ghislaine Maxwell said: 'I am weak, I am frail. I have no stamina. I am tired. I don't even have shoes which fit properly. They feed me rotten food. One apple had maggots in it.' Pictured, she has lost weight while in the detention centre +14

Pictured, Ghislaine Maxwell in 2010 +14

Speaking from her 10ft by 12ft prison cell inside New York's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, where she has spent the past 16 months in solitary confinement, Ghislaine Maxwell said: 'I am weak, I am frail. I have no stamina. I am tired. I don't even have shoes which fit properly. They feed me rotten food. One apple had maggots in it. I have not been allowed to exercise.' (Left, Ghislaine has lost weight while in the detention centre; right, she is pictured in 2010) Despite her grim surroundings, Ms Maxwell manages to force a smile as she describes how prison guards were so impressed by her hairdressing skills that they gave her paper-cutting scissors and joked that she should open her own salon. (Above, the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn) +14

Despite her grim surroundings, Ms Maxwell manages to force a smile as she describes how prison guards were so impressed by her hairdressing skills that they gave her paper-cutting scissors and joked that she should open her own salon. (Above, the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn) Ms Maxwell, who faces the rest of her life behind bars if convicted of abusing and procuring young girls for billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein (above, with Ghislaine in 2005) – charges that she vehemently denies – claims that a 'friendly rat' routinely sat next to her on an open sewer as she went to the toilet +14

Ms Maxwell, who faces the rest of her life behind bars if convicted of abusing and procuring young girls for billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein (above, with Ghislaine in 2005) – charges that she vehemently denies – claims that a 'friendly rat' routinely sat next to her on an open sewer as she went to the toilet

Ms Maxwell, who faces the rest of her life behind bars if convicted of abusing and procuring young girls for billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein – charges that she vehemently denies – claims:

A 'friendly rat' routinely sat next to her on an open sewer as she went to the toilet;
She has stopped taking showers as 'creepy' guards stare at her;
Her mail has been tampered with and she has been 'purposely' prevented from preparing for trial by being given vital evidence too late;
The jury pool has been so tainted by the continuous slurs against her character she believes it will be virtually 'impossible' to get a fair trial.

Some will say that a woman accused of sexually abusing young women, including a 14-year-old girl, deserves no sympathy. Others will argue that the American justice system is inhumane.

Either way, she remains innocent in the eyes of the law before her trial.

At 59, the Ghislaine of today is a far cry from the glamorous woman who was once a fixture on the international social scene, where she mingled with world leaders such as Bill and Hillary Clinton and was close friends with royalty, including Prince Andrew.

Today, the designer outfits have been replaced by the shapeless overalls of prisoner 02879-509.

Her trademark hair, once coiffed by French stylist Frederic Fekkai, is streaked with grey and fashioned into a shoulder-length style she managed to craft using toenail clippers while peering into a 3in by 5in hand mirror.

Despite her grim surroundings, she manages to force a smile as she describes how prison guards were so impressed by her hairdressing skills that they gave her paper-cutting scissors and joked that she should open her own salon.

But the harsh reality for a woman dubbed a 'socialite' – a term she fiercely objects to – has been what she describes as a living hell ever since more than 20 armed FBI agents swooped on her 156-acre, £800,000 New Hampshire home in July 2020.