Covid denier Eve Black's surprise career move after months of 'vindictive' abuse

Coronavirus conspiracy theorist Eve Black, who made headlines in July when video showed her refusing to answer police questions in Melbourne, has revealed she’s made a new start working with children as a live-in nanny.

Ms Black, whose real name is Eve Limberiou, has received death and rape threats, and was spat on in the streets in the wake of her much-publicised coronavirus run-in with police.

“I just want to move forward with my life,” Ms Black told Yahoo News Australia in her first interview since the ordeal.

“There are people who still have a vindictive attitude towards me,” she said more than three months on from the video being uploaded.

“People who make personal attacks on someone else who has personally never harmed them are far bigger offenders than I will ever be.”

Despite posting regular Instagram updates to her more than 2400 followers – many of which downplay the severity of COVID-19 – the former adult entertainer says she shies away from the limelight.

Her video was meant for a close group of friends and Ms Black never expected it to go beyond that.

"I didn't think anything like what happened would have come out of it, really I didn't. I shared it among my friends and I didn't think it would get to the extent it did,” the 28-year-old said.

“People think I did this for attention. I did not do it for attention. What person in their right mind would want that kind of attention? I don't want to be famous.”

The video that sparked a wave of abuse

Ms Black’s video, which was filmed by a passenger her in her four-wheel drive, shows her pulling up to a checkpoint in Bunyip and refusing to answer questions regarding her reasons for travel, reading predetermined responses off a piece of paper.

After the police officer loses patience with her, he waves her through, prompting laughter and celebration from Ms Black.

The video prompted widespread anger across Australia at a time Melbourne’s second wave raged on.

Victoria Police Minister Lisa Neville vowed to catch up with Ms Black who she labelled selfish.

She did exactly that six days later when officers arrested her in Carlton, smashing her window in the process after she failed to comply.

It catapulted Ms Black into the spotlight once again, prompting further condemnation from the public.

She believes the resulting furore created by the media, which inadvertently saw her become a pin-up girl for Covid deniers across the country, wrongly made her a target for endless abuse.

“Those who criticise, threaten and laugh need to take a good look at themselves in the mirror. I can bet a lot of them would also be advocates for anti-bullying campaigns if someone they cared about had to go through what I experienced,” she said.

“Yet here people are, continuing to slander me and make assumptions based on what they think they know about me because they saw it on the telly.”

Coronavirus rhetoric continues amid change

Three months on and one explainer video denying any wrongdoing later, Ms Black says it’s time she and the Australian public moved on.

Her plans to do so involve moving to a new area working as a nanny at a family’s farm, looking after their children.

While she refrained from sharing many of the details, she insists she has turned a page in her life.

"The job is incredibly rewarding and I love it,” she told Yahoo News Australia.

Her responsibilities include making meals, grocery shopping, taking the kids to the bus stop for school and generally being around the house as the parents spend several days away from the family home.

Despite being just days into her new role, she says the experience has been an eye-opener and can see her short stay so far blossoming into a long and rewarding relationship with the family.

However one thing that has not changed is her stance on the pandemic.

She still regularly questions the severity of the coronavirus on social media and lambasts Premier Daniel Andrews over Victoria’s lockdown.

In her latest post on Thursday, she labelled COVID-19 “a bogus flu”. Last week, she proudly boasted about ignoring social distancing.

“Just some ladies who don’t give a damn about your rules and regulations,” she wrote.

However she told Yahoo News Australia that while people are allowed to differ on opinions, she has been singled out and treated in a way that is “not simply about a virus”.

Ms Black reflects on previous life in adult entertainment

She is desperate her new found fame won’t tarnish the fast-growing relationship she has with her new employers, as well as that of previous friendships.

“I’m just a woman who’s trying to move forward with her life and protect the privacy of those around me who don’t want the associated spotlight of my infamy upon them.”

Ms Black revealed her new work has given her a sense of well-being in a role that is in stark contrast to her previous work in the adult industry.

"Obviously I used to be an erotic dancer, and even though it's been some time since I worked in that industry, being in a job [childcare] that is obviously lower paying and something that is very, very different to what I was in has provided me with a greater sense of fulfilment and clarity for my own future."

That vision has given her the determination to move on from being one of the most chastised characters of Australia’s coronavirus narrative.

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