Casey Anthony on the beach: First pictures reveal 'most hated mom in America's' life of freedom as she breaks silence to complain of 'things holding me back'
- Never before seen pictures of the 'most hated mom in America' are first in more than a year
- Anthony spoke out to say filing for bankruptcy is 'the next step towards closure for me'
- 26-year-old now believed to be living near Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Her lawyer says she's a 'virtual prisoner' and 'she can't even work at McDonald's because people would be looking at her instead of the menu'
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In a candid photograph Casey Anthony relaxes on a Florida beach as she soaks up the sun and chills out by reading a book.
In another, the beaming 26-year-old stands with the legal team that successfully defended her from charges she murdered her three-year-old daughter, Caylee.
The never before seen pictures of the 'most hated mom in America' - the first of her in more than a year - come as Anthony breaks her silence to reveal she is seeking 'closure' on 'these things holding me back'.
Chill time: Anthony takes a break with a book on the beach as she says declaring herself bankrupt is 'the next step towards closure for me'
Thanks: The 26-year-old poses in August 2012 with the legal team that got her acquitted for her daughter's murder
Anthony, who has been in hiding since the trial, spoke out to explain why she had filed for bankruptcy with debts of close to $1m.
'This is the next step towards closure for me', she said in her first public comments since leaving prison - made in an interview with CBS5AZ.com on Friday evening.
Anthony said she wanted to move on with her life but was being held back by a possible defamation trial brought by Zenaida Gonzalez.
During the massive search for her missing daughter Anthony had told police a nanny called Gonzalez had taken her.
She later revealed during her trial that she knew all along Caylee was dead with the youngster having drowned in the family's pool at their home in Orlando, Florida.
Team Casey: The woman dubbed 'the most hated mom in America' told CBS5 on Friday evening that she wants to 'move forward'
Anthony, who is now believed to have been living near Cape Canaveral, Florida, said she wanted to move on with her life but has the threat of a standing trial for defamation hanging over her.
By filing for bankruptcy legal experts said it could stall any trial for months and even years.
'These are the things holding me back. This is the key for me to move forward,' Anthony said.
Her first public comments in over a year were accompanied by the release of new photos showing a relaxed Anthony with her legal team.
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ShareWearing a blue strapless dress, Anthony stands confidently with her hand on her hip while in another Anthony relaxes in a chair on a beach as the surf laps behind her.
One other shows her smiling broadly in front of a hand drawn poster that reads 'Team Casey' with two of her legal team.
The photographs are in stark contrast to the gaunt look Anthony displayed throughout her trial in 2011.
The photographs were taken in August 2012, a year after she was acquitted by a jury in Orlando of murdering her daughter.
Transformation: Anthony looks dramatically different from the way she did during her trial in July 2011
After being cleared of first degree murder Anthony was found guilty on four counts of lying to police.
With credit for the almost three years she had served while being held in custody on the murder charge Anthony spent just 12 days further in prison before being released.
A Florida appeals court overturned two of the misdemeanor convictions last week.
Anthony spoke briefly about her bankruptcy to a reporter from CBS5 in Phoenix. The interview is thought to have been arranged by her civil attorney Charles Greene.
Before the interview began Greene said Anthony would not discuss any of the details surrounding her legal problems.
Greene said Anthony cannot move on with her life while the defamation suit remains active.
'She needs closure in this matter in order to move on with her life,' he said.
Greene said Anthony remains a 'prisoner' because of her notoriety.
'She's a virtual prisoner still by her circumstances,' Greene said.
Lost: Caylee (left) was reported missing in July 2008 and her mother was cleared of her murder in 2011
'She can't work at McDonald's because people would be looking at her instead of the menu.'
In her bankruptcy filing Anthony revealed debts of close to $1m.
The biggest slice of the money is owed to her trial lawyer Jose Baez but she also owes more than $100,000 to a search and rescue organisation who spent weeks looking for two year old Caylee.
All the 70 creditors worked on her defence case but they also include a scuba diver who risked his life in alligator infested lakes to look for the missing girl.
Residents of a condo block in Cape Canaveral said they have seen a young woman bearing a resemblance to Anthony walking in the grounds with her dog.
They said Anthony is always accompanied by a bodyguard.
'She walks a dog, she usually has a bodyguard with her,' said Monica Vandevender.
'My husband has seen her out here before too.'
Although it's not confirmed Anthony is living in the block in a video diary made by Anthony's which surfaced in late 2011, she said she adopted a dog.
Meanwhile, in another interview her attorney said Anthony could become a paralegal after gaining legal experience while being tried for her two-year-old daughter's murder.
'I truly believe that she has a lot of skills,' Mr Greene told ABCNews.com.
'She's better than many paralegals I know. She could be a paralegal or something like that right away.
Mr Greene said Anthony 'believes strongly in our justice system' and constitutional rights.
'I think she may be the type that ends up trying to work within our system to make our system better rather than being a person who's trying to break it down,' he said.
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