Where are the women of Underbelly now?

When Underbelly exploded onto our screens with its premiere, fraught with a flurry of controversy in 2008, our eyes and ears were drawn to the stories of Melbourne’s – and later, Sydney’s – ugly underworld.

There was violence and feuding and sex and death. And among the guns of both metal and men, there were women, too. Women who involved themselves with men who committed truly unbelievable crimes.

So where are they now?

Here’s what we know.

Judy Moran

Judy Moran was the matriarch of the infamous Moran family who lost her two sons and husband to the gangland war.

In the years after she first appeared on our screens in Underbelly season one - as played by Caroline Gillmer - Moran had a colourful time in the public eye.

In the weeks after her husband's death, Moran signed with celebrity agent Harry M. Miller, announcing she was planning to write a book of her experiences.

It was tricky. The public weren't happy, sensing that Judy Moran was about to make coin from her husband's crimes in an attempt to clear his name. In Victoria, it's illegal for people convicted of a crime to make money from telling their story about those actions. However, in Judy's case, at the time she wanted to publish her book, she had never been convicted or charged with any crime at all.

The book - creatively titled My Story - was published by Random House in 2005. However, less than a week later, the publishing company was forced to recall the book after it became clear it contained false allegations regarding deceased Victorian detective, Fred Silvester. It was re-released the same year.

In June 2009, Des Moran, the brother of Judy's husband late husband Lewis, was murdered on the streets of Ascot Vale in Melbourne.

Judy Moran was arrested, charged and subsequently convicted of his murder along with two others. She is alleged to have concealed and disposed of the getaway car used in the killing.

On 10 August 2011, she was sentenced to 26 years in jail. She is 76 years old.

Roberta Williams

Roberta Williams, 48, is a mother of five and lives in Essendon, Melbourne and was married to underworld figure and murderer Carl Williams, who was bashed to death by another inmate in Barwon Prison in 2010.

At the time of Williams' death, their marriage had disintegrated.

Most recently, Roberta announced she intended to run for parliament in the next federal election, having been chosen as the Australian People's Party candidate for Bill Shorten's seat of Maribyrnong in Melbourne.

However, her status as an undischarged bankrupt could rule her out of the race, after the Federal Court declared her bankrupt over a $300,000 tax debt last year.

“So many wrongs have been done to me and other people,” she told reporters outside her Melbourne home in August this year, upon the news hitting headlines. “That I believe need to be fixed and the Government at the moment doesn’t seem to know how to do that.”

"I have haters, I have likers, I have people who love me, we all do in society," Williams told reporters. "I believe that everyone deserves a chance at giving anything a go and if you've got the capabilities to do so, do it."

Danielle McGuire

Danielle McGuire, the former girlfriend of Mark Moran, was most famously known for her relationship with convicted drug smuggler Tony Mokbel.

She has two children, Brittany, 21, and Renate, 10. Renate is the daughter of Mokbel.

In the nearly 10 years since her former partner went to prison, McGuire was reported to have had a relationship with another gangster, outlaw motorcycle boss Toby Mitchell.

In 2012, it was also reported the hairdresser was bashed by a balaclava-clad man who chased her through a Melbourne cafe. It is believed she was hit with either a bar or tool and was treated at the scene for minor injuries, but did not want to be taken to hospital.

Trish Moran

Trish Moran, the widow of prominent gangland figure Jason Moran, moved to Western Australia after the death of her husband. It is believed after a short while, she made her way back to Melbourne.

In 2009, her sister Suzanne Kane and mother-in-law Judy Moran were both charged in relation to the murder of Desmond Moran. Kane was charged with being an accessory after the fact.

In the same year, News Corp reported Moran was linked to a man called Benjamin John Horne who was arrested in 2009 for his alleged part in a $20 million drug plot. It was reported the duo had a baby together.

Kim Hollingsworth

The character of Kim Hollingsworth, now 53, was featured in Underbelly, The Golden Mile.

In 2010 - and in the same year Underbelly premiered - Hollingsworth posed in the now-defunct Zoo Weekly.

In the years after the show, Hollingsworth was an animal rights activist who was later convicted twice of animal cruelty.

The second time, in 2014, saw the former police officer convicted of 14 charges of animal neglect for the poor treatment of horses in her care.

She was ordered to pay over $114,000.00 to RSPCA NSW in professional vet and care costs.

Zarah Garde-Wilson

Zarah Garde-Wilson was the high-profile criminal lawyer who once dated the late Lewis Caine.

She gave birth to a daughter, Samantha, in late 2008 and in September 2010, gave birth to twins, Max and Sophie.

In 2013, her partner and father of her kids, Lansley Simon, was cleared of the murder of a hospitality worker he met outside an inner-city nightclub.

According to her website, Garde-Wilson still works as a Barrister and criminal lawyer in Melbourne.

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