The British socialite at the centre of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal told friends in recent weeks that she planned to “totally disappear”.

Ghislaine Maxwell said she was "knocked for six" after lurid allegations resurfaced about her dealings with the paedophile billionaire, a source told the Telegraph.

It comes as US prosecutors are reportedly struggling to locate Miss Maxwell to question her about claims that she procured young girls for Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell at the weekend.

A source close to her said: "Ghislaine thought this was all dead and buried when the case was settled in 2017. So she was knocked for six when the Epstein stuff raised its ugly head again.

"She told everyone that it was just a rehash of the same old nonsense.

"She said that she planned to totally disappear and not say anything. Since then people haven't heard anything from her at all."