Fellows was born in Sydney, Australia. His father Bill Fellows, was a champion jockey and horse trainer who won the 1949 Melbourne Cup on Foxzami. Fellows claimed he was nearly expelled from the school when he was caught running a horse betting operation from his school desk.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment in Thailand in 1978 for his role in a heroin trafficking operation that took place from Perth to Bangkok. Fellows received a royal pardon and was released from Bangkwang on 11 January 1990.