A Perth mother who had a secret job as a sex worker has revealed the horrifying way she discovered so-called friends had reported her to police for being a “bad mom.”

Lucy Banks, 34, quit her job in corporate banking and started selling racy images and videos on OnlyFans after separating from her husband in 2019.

But after ditching her restrictive career for a job that worked around her two kids, Banks found out others had been quick to judge, with some even reporting her to officials over fears her children were in danger.

“My pivot from being a married mother of two with a career in banking to a single mom doing OnlyFans, seemed very sudden to a lot of people,” she told news.com.au.

“I think the only conclusion that made sense to them was that I lost my mind, but in reality, my marriage had been breaking down for a long time.

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“Becoming a sex worker enabled me to stay at home and be around for my kids. I could structure my work around when they were at school.”

While Banks “really didn’t understand what the big deal was”, she said she decided to keep the intimate details of her adult job from her children until they were old enough to understand.

However, she soon realized she couldn’t stop other people in her life from casting judgement, with some even taking great lengths to expose her.

“People have a real fascination with sex workers and adult creators. I had multiple people from my ‘real life’ subscribe and be weird with me,” she explained.

“They would feed me facts about my life, to scare me and show that they actually knew me. I also had people screenshot my content and send it around.”

She said that despite making a “huge effort” to keep her work and personal life separate, those who were offended by her new job started reporting her to various authorities, claiming she was a “terrible mother.”

“These people were calling my kids school, the police and child protection. It was overwhelming at some points, and it made me extremely skeptical about who I could trust,” Banks told news.com.au.

“Being a mother is such an intrinsic part of me. It’s everything.

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“As much as being accused of being a bad mother really stung, it was awful, I quickly snapped out of it. I’m an exceptional mother. Anyone who is in my network, and who actually knows me, will tell you, I would do anything for my kids.”

After one particularly concerning encounter with a subscriber, Banks ended up calling police, only for the officer to reveal he’d received five complaints about her.

Thankfully, the cop said she was “not under suspicion”, but it made her realize just how often women are judged.

“If I stayed in banking and had my kids in daycare every day 6am – 6pm, people would have judged,” she explained.

“If I lived off Centrelink and child support, people would have judged.

“If I didn’t work at all and stopped providing for my children, people would have judged.

“I would have been judged and criticized with any option I chose, so I went for the option that had the potential to set us up financially, while enabling me to be a present parent.”

But as her success grew online, the downside was Banks was less able to shield her kids, and eventually she was outed to her eldest son.

“My son was 10 at the time, and he just asked me straight out, ‘Mom, do you do OnlyFans?’” she explained.

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“I was always going to have that conversation with them. I had only kept my children away from anything like that because it’s not age appropriate.

“So it was really disappointing that someone else had taken it upon themselves to tell my young son about it.

“I spent years shielding and keeping my kids away from anything inappropriate and I did a great job of that.”

In total, Banks earned over $1.5 million during her four year career on OnlyFans, with her stint in the X-rated industry even spawning the idea that enabled her to leave the sex industry.

“I’m still heavily involved in the industry, but it was the right time for me to step back a bit,” she said.

“I founded Million Billion Media, the first PR and marketing agency for the adult industry. “This year, my company also acquired the Adult Industry Choice Awards. It’s a gala evening in November where the industry leaders and newcomers are recognized. It’s a great space to work in, it’s surprisingly wholesome.”

She said that while people are still curious about what her kids thought of her work, past and present, “they don’t really care.”

“They’re typical kids. They are much more concerned about getting McDonald’s for dinner and playing their sports.

“My job has meant I’ve been able to support my kids, and I am really proud of that. They go to great private schools, they do sports, they have stability.

“They’re not spoiled by any means. But we have a secure and quiet life, which is everything I always wanted to be able to provide.”