If Schapelle Corby is to ever realise her dream of becoming a mum, it will be Indonesian man Ben Panangian who will father her child, say insiders. Former inmate Ben, 32, fell for Schapelle while serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for drug possession in the same Bali hellhole.

They met in 2006 during a church service – the only time males and females can mingle at Kerobokan prison – and their friendship quickly blossomed into something more. Schapelle’s sister, Mercedes, says it’s Ben’s love that has helped pull Schapelle, 34, through the darkest days of her eight years behind bars.

He was also there when Mercedes broke the news to Schapelle that the Indonesian president had slashed a further five years off her 20-year sentence. And while it’s now doubtful she’ll be released in August, as initially hoped, our source says Ben’s bond with Schapelle is unshakable. “Schapelle is desperate to have a child and, if it happens, Ben is definitely going to be the dad, absolutely, yes,” says our Bali-based insider.

“She’s still that Gold Coast surfie chick at heart ... and it’s coming out in her again. She and Ben share a passion for the surf and the whole lifestyle that goes with it.” A former marketing student at Surabaya University, one of Indonesia’s best tertiary institutions, Ben quickly ditched the suit and tie to pursue his first love. He now makes his living taking foreign surfers to the island’s best breaks.

Read more about Schapelle and her boyfriend Ben in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday June 4, 2012.