Search

Placeholder Content Image

Rebecca Loos claims Beckham is "playing the victim" over affair scandal

<p>Rebecca Loos, the woman at the centre of the alleged <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/woman-at-the-centre-of-alleged-beckham-affair-breaks-silence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affair scandal</a> with iconic football legend David Beckham, has recently shared her thoughts on the new <em>Beckham</em> docuseries, which was released on Netflix.</p> <p>Loos, now 47 and residing in Norway with her husband and two children, expressed her concerns regarding the way the affair was handled in the docuseries, which was produced in collaboration with Beckham's production company.</p> <p>In the early 2000s, Loos gained notoriety for her claims of a romantic involvement with David Beckham during his time as a football superstar. In the docuseries, the Beckhams primarily discussed the media frenzy that ensued following Loos' revelations in 2003, but skirted around the specifics of the affair itself.</p> <p>It was during that tumultuous period that Loos had declared her connection with the football player while working as his personal assistant, even suggesting that the Beckhams had been dealing with marital issues before her involvement came to light. At the time, the celebrity couple vehemently denied any wrongdoing and even considered legal action against Loos.</p> <p>Victoria Beckham, 49, revealed in the docuseries, "It was the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life," while David Beckham, 48, tearfully stated, "Victoria is everything to me. To see her hurt was incredibly difficult… what we had was worth fighting for."</p> <p>Loos, however, took issue with David's statement. In a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12657157/rebecca-loos-affair-david-beckham-netflix.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">candid interview with the Daily Mail</a>, she expressed her frustration: "The [worst] bit for me is that he says he didn't like seeing his wife suffer. That bothered me. Because he's the one that's caused the suffering. He can say whatever he likes, of course, and I understand he has an image to preserve, but he is portraying himself as the victim and he's making me look like a liar, like I've made up these stories. He is indirectly suggesting that I'm the one who has made Victoria suffer."</p> <p>Loos also argued that the docuseries had thrust the affair back into the spotlight, an issue that many had forgotten about since the news first broke 20 years ago, thereby further impacting her reputation. She emphasised, "Yes, the stories were horrible, but they're true. He talks in the documentary about this ultimately being his private life, shutting it down. I think it's one thing to keep your private life to yourself. It's another thing to mislead the public."</p> <p>She suggested that David could have chosen to acknowledge that it was not one of his proudest moments or characterised it as a challenging period and moved on from the subject. However, she felt that he continued to phrase his statements in a way that indirectly shifted the blame onto her.</p> <p>"If you don't want to take responsibility for things because of your family and your children, that's absolutely fine," Loos commented, "But he specifically made it look like… my fault, that he had nothing to do with this."</p> <p>Loos, after the 2003 allegations, embarked on a path as a media personality, participating in various English and Dutch TV shows. In 2008, while filming the Dutch TV show <em>71 Graden Noord</em>, she crossed paths with her future husband, Norwegian doctor Sven Christjar Skaiaa. After becoming pregnant, the couple decided to relocate to Norway in 2009. Today, she works as a yoga teacher and a massage therapist in Norway while raising her two sons and only occasionally making media appearances.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

TV

Placeholder Content Image

Wayne Carey's flippant comment on past cheating scandal

<p dir="ltr">Wayne Carey has made a series of astonishing remarks about the high profile affair that ended his career, as he engaged with cheeky fans on X, formerly known as Twitter. </p> <p dir="ltr">The exchange began when the former AFL player made a seemingly innocent statement about AFL teams trading players. </p> <p dir="ltr">“If your club gets a player that plays your position? That should always be used as motivation to have the best preseason you have ever had,” the former Kangaroos star wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Difference between being good and great? Absolutely nothing beats hard work #tradeshow.”</p> <p dir="ltr">But fans were quick to recall Carey changing clubs back in 2002, as one person cheekily asked, “How come you traded clubs?” to which Carey replied, “Really?”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Didn’t work hard enough?” another added to the banter.</p> <p dir="ltr">Many others added to the virtual pile on, until one fan recalled the reason why he had to change clubs 21 years ago. </p> <p dir="ltr">“He slept with his teammate's wife!” the account wrote, to which the footy star responded with “3 times”. </p> <p dir="ltr">The rogue posts didn't stop there, as the same fan then jokingly asked if the footy star was “back on the bags”, referring to Carey's <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/it-s-not-a-great-look-afl-legend-caught-with-mysterious-substance-at-crown-casino" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incident at Perth Crown Casino</a>when a suspicious looking bag of white powder fell out of his pocket while he was gambling.</p> <p dir="ltr">On last year’s season of <em>SAS Australia</em>, Carey spoke candidly about the affair scandal. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I slept with a teammate’s wife. It’s haunted me for 20 years,” he said at the time. </p> <p dir="ltr">“My integrity will always be questioned. I’m not trying to prove anything to the public — it’s to myself." </p> <p dir="ltr">“People can change. They evolve. Hopefully this can help me.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Relationships

Placeholder Content Image

Major twist in BBC presenter scandal

<p>A damning scandal surrounding a high-profile BBC presenter has grown after a second victim has come forward against the anonymous personality. </p> <p>Just days after an exclusive report from <em>The Sun</em> claimed a well-known presenter for the public broadcaster had paid a teenager for explicit images, another woman has now claimed she was contacted online by the star. </p> <p>She said the presenter sent “abusive and menacing” messages online, and “felt threatened” when she refused to meet up with the presenter in person. </p> <p>They recognised the presenter after connecting on a dating app and, the BBC reported, “hinted they might name” them which led to a number of “abusive expletive filled messages”.</p> <p>“The young person said they had been scared by the power the presenter held,” BBC News reported. </p> <p>“They said the threats made in the messages … had frightened them, and they remain scared.” </p> <p>The person, in their early twenties, has no connection to the first person who came forward with the allegations. </p> <p>The presenter, who has yet to be named, has not commented on the allegations. </p> <p>These new allegations come just days after the first victim's family <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/bbc-presenter-suspended-over-deeply-concerning-allegations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">came forward</a> and accused the anonymous presenter for sending their teenager a total of £35,000 ($67,000AUD) for explicit pictures over a three year period.</p> <p>The correspondence with the presenter allegedly began when the first person was just 17 years old, with the mother of the person, now in their twenties, saying the money was funding a dangerous drug habit. </p> <p>The mother said of the BBC presenter, “When I see him on telly, I feel sick. I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.”</p> <p>In a statement on Sunday, the BBC confirmed that it "first became aware of a complaint in May".</p> <p dir="ltr">"New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols," it added.</p> <p dir="ltr">The statement said that "a male member of staff has been suspended".</p> <p dir="ltr">"This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps," the BBC added.</p> <p dir="ltr">London's Metropolitan Police released a statement later on Sunday confirming the BBC contacted it over the matter, "but no formal referral or allegation has been made".</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Pop star discovered tragically dead at 33 in the wake of scandal

<p>South Korean pop star Choi Sung-bong, who was caught running a notorious cancer scam has passed away at age 33.</p> <p><em>The Korean Times</em> reported that Choi was found by police at his Seoul home on the morning of June 20. He was pronounced dead soon after.</p> <p>Authorities have reportedly ruled the singer’s cause of death as a suicide.</p> <p>According to the Hollywood Reporter, after years of online fame stemming from a 2011 performance on Korea’s Got Talent, Choi confessed he had tricked his fans into donating money to him after claiming he needed funds for cancer treatment.</p> <p>Choi had claimed he had been battling multiple forms of cancer to obtain the donations, however, his claims were later exposed as a hoax.</p> <p>He also claimed he had returned all donated funds from a false fundraiser.</p> <p>Choi later issued a grovelling apology and vowed to return all of the donations sent by his fans.</p> <p>One day before his alleged suicide, Choi posted a note on his YouTube channel apologising for “foolish mistakes” in the past, according to The Mirror.</p> <p>The chilling letter said he needed to "repay for his sins with his life” and showed the address of where his body would be after taking his life.</p> <p>“My body can be found at [his home location]. I don’t know how to write a final message, so I will just write it in my own style. Even though my breath may have stopped now, I have no regrets about the brilliant journey of my life. I have lived my life to the fullest and made efforts to find happiness every day. Age thirty-four," (as per Korean age system), he said.</p> <p>Choi was best known for competing in Korea’s Got Talent in 2011, coming in at second place.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIy99OT2BAQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIy99OT2BAQ"></iframe></a></p> <p>A clip of him singing a cover of Nella Fantasia by Ennio Morricone quickly went viral online, thrusting him into the spotlight  – <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">with singing sensation Justin Bieber even acknowledging his talent.</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: YouTube</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Pip Edwards breaks silence on Michael Clarke scandal

<p>The woman at the centre of Michael Clarke's alleged cheating scandal has spoken candidly about the dramatic events in Noosa. </p> <p>The P.E. Nation fashion designer made a stunning appearance at the Australian Open on Saturday ahead of the women's final, where she was grilled about the now-viral fight. </p> <p>Edwards told <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/pip-edwards-hits-out-at-the-carnival-of-the-michael-clarke-scandal-and-says-she-is-focused-on-business-pe-nation/news-story/8d91cfabae96e43b78b24e3414775dbb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a>, “It is definitely not my circus and I would like to say the carnival is over.”</p> <p>“The carnival is over and, to be honest, the focus for me is on the global expansion of P.E. Nation."</p> <p>“The carnival is done.”  </p> <p>A video of Clarke fighting with his girlfriend Jade Yarbrough went viral, in which Yarbrough accused the cricketer of cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend Edwards. </p> <p>After the scandal made headlines, photos emerged of Edwards at the pool, and some media outlets published them with a headline reading, “revenge body”.</p> <p>Pip quickly dispelled the sexist headlines, stating, “I have had this body for a very long time.”</p> <p>“I work on my body. It is part of my mental health. It is part of my stability. It is part of how I conquer my day. I live and breathe what I do. I thought that (headline) was a very interesting take."</p> <p>“As a woman in business, as a single mother, as someone who has worked very hard her whole life, the aesthetics of me are literally the cherry on top. It is the iceberg underneath that is what I am doing."</p> <p>“First and foremost I am a mother and a businesswoman, I just come with a body."</p> <p>“It is not out of revenge, it is not out of anything other than being healthy, fit and active.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Why do people overshare online? 5 expert tips for avoiding social media scandal

<p>Social media are increasingly blurring the lines between our personal and professional lives, leaving us at risk of posting sensitive information that could have ramifications far beyond our “friends” list.</p> <p>Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin recently found this out the hard way after a video of her <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/finnish-pm-sanna-marin-seen-partying-in-leaked-video/news-story/ee2c1b2a86add23a7d693598a20d2631" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dancing and drinking</a> with friends, first posted to a private Instagram account, was leaked to the press. Marin was forced to apologise, and even volunteered for a drug test, after enduring a worldwide media storm.</p> <p>Other kinds of oversharing can have consequences, too. In 2020, police in Australia shared photos of <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/thirteen-victoria-police-employees-suspended-or-transferred-over-dean-laidley-photos-20200717-p55d39.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested ex-footballer Dani Laidley</a> in a private WhatsApp group, and the photos were then made public. Thirteen officers were suspended or transferred, with some facing charges for privacy and human rights breaches.</p> <p>Many employers are <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7877807/parliament-house-crackdown-on-public-servants-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introducing policies</a> to reduce this kind of risk. <a href="https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2021/user_behaivors/user_behaivors/5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our research</a> shows what drives much online oversharing – and we can offer some tips to keep yourself clear of social media scandal.</p> <p><strong>The personal and professional risks of oversharing</strong></p> <p>People have different preferences for boundaries between their professional and personal lives. Some prefer to keep their work relationships formal, while others treat colleagues as friends.</p> <p>However, even if we choose to maintain strong boundaries between our professional and personal lives, we may still find details of our lives divulged on social media by others.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">'I am a human ... But I have not missed a single day of work, a single task, and I never will' — Finnish PM Sanna Marin continued to defend herself from the fallout of several leaked videos showing her drinking and partying with personal friends <a href="https://t.co/sA82YnpNxJ">pic.twitter.com/sA82YnpNxJ</a></p> <p>— NowThis (@nowthisnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1562835718195630080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.webroot.com/gb/en/resources/tips-articles/hey-teens-chances-are-youll-regret-oversharing-information-online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a> has reported more than half of us feel anxious about family, friends and colleagues sharing information, photos or videos we do not want to be shared publicly. Yet many of us also reveal an inappropriate amount of detail about our own lives (“oversharing”) on social media, and regret it later.</p> <p>Beyond the potential for embarrassment, indiscriminate sharing on social media can have significant negative consequences for your professional life. Many employers actively use social media to <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/more-than-half-of-employers-have-found-content-on-social-media-that-caused-them-not-to-hire-a-candidate-according-to-recent-careerbuilder-survey-300694437.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research job candidates</a>, while some employees have <a href="https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/6-people-who-were-fired-for-social-media-posts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost their jobs</a> due to social media posts.</p> <p><strong>Emotions drive oversharing</strong></p> <p>Why are so many of us prone to oversharing? <a href="https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2021/user_behaivors/user_behaivors/5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our research</a> suggests emotions are central.</p> <p>When we feel strong emotions, we often use social media to communicate with and get support from friends, family and colleagues. We might share good news when we feel happy or excited, or anger and frustration might drive us to vent about our employers.</p> <p>When emotional, it is easy for us to cross the boundary between work and social life, underestimating the consequences of social media posts that can quickly go viral.</p> <p>We have five simple tips for people to avoid oversharing and creating a social media scandal for themselves or others.</p> <p><strong>1. Set clear boundaries between personal life and work</strong></p> <p>Be clear about the boundaries between your social life and work. Set rules, limits and acceptable behaviours to protect these boundaries.</p> <p>Let your friends, colleagues and family know your expectations. If someone oversteps your boundaries, raise your concerns. Consider your relationship with individuals who do not respect your boundaries.</p> <p>You can also establish boundaries by maintaining separate professional and social accounts on different social media platforms, and only sharing things relevant to work on your professional account.</p> <p><strong>2. Respect the boundaries of others</strong></p> <p>Be aware of and respect the boundaries of others. Don’t share photos or videos of others without their permission.</p> <p>If someone doesn’t want their photo to be taken, video to be recorded or their name to be tagged, respect their wishes. Treat others on social media the same way you would like to be treated.</p> <p><strong>3. Lock down your social media accounts</strong></p> <p>Adjust your privacy settings to control who can view your profile and posts.</p> <p>Most social media platforms provide features to help users protect their privacy online. Facebook’s “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/443357099140264" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Privacy Checkup tool</a>”, for example, lets you see what you’re sharing and with whom.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Facebook revamps "privacy checkup" to help manage data settings<a href="https://t.co/nUMsnB7ACk">https://t.co/nUMsnB7ACk</a> <a href="https://t.co/jd1NAWdWkU">pic.twitter.com/jd1NAWdWkU</a></p> <p>— Mashable (@mashable) <a href="https://twitter.com/mashable/status/1214232258963488769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2020</a></p></blockquote> <p>Also consider what information you place in your profile. If you don’t want your personal social media profile associated with your employer, do not list your employer in your profile.</p> <p><strong>4. Share consciously to avoid mistakes</strong></p> <p>Do not use social media when you feel emotional. Especially if you are feeling strong emotions like hurt, anger or excitement, give yourself time to process your feelings before posting.</p> <p>Ask yourself: How many people will see this post? Would anyone be hurt? Does anyone benefit? Would I feel comfortable if my colleagues or supervisors saw this?</p> <p>Assume what you share can be seen by your friends, enemies, colleagues, boss and another 5,000 people. Stop if you don’t want any of them to see what you’re thinking about posting.</p> <p><strong>5. If you do overshare, try to remove unwanted content</strong></p> <p>Oversharing and accidental posting are not uncommon. If you have posted unwanted content, remove it immediately.</p> <p>If you are concerned about information about yourself on someone else’s social media, raise your concerns and ask the person who posted to remove it.</p> <p>If the information has spread through multiple sources, it is a bit tricky, but it is worth trying to contact the website or service that hosts the information or image to remove the content.</p> <p>If you need further assistance with removing online content, you can also try a <a href="https://www.contentremoval.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">content removal service</a>.</p> <p><strong>Posting is forever</strong></p> <p>Be aware that nothing shared over social media is private. Even “private” messages can easily be forwarded, screenshotted, posted and shared elsewhere.</p> <p>You should treat social media content like your personal brand. If you wouldn’t say it to your colleagues and managers, don’t post it online.</p> <p>Social media can enrich our professional and personal lives, but ill-considered posts and oversharing can be damaging to yourself and others. Being smart on social media is something we need to get better at in our professional lives, just as much as our personal lives.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189528/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/van-hau-trieu-1372977" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Van-Hau Trieu</a>, Senior Lecturer in Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vanessa-cooper-1374731" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanessa Cooper</a>, Professor, Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-people-overshare-online-5-expert-tips-for-avoiding-social-media-scandal-189528" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

Grant and Chezzi Denyer open up on their unlikely romance

<p dir="ltr">Grant Denyer has opened up about the “scandalous” way his relationship with Chezzi began.</p> <p dir="ltr">He appeared with Chezzi on the latest episode of the podcast <em><a href="https://omny.fm/shows/separate-bathrooms-and-other-handy-marriage-tips/grant-chezzi-denyer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Separate Bathrooms</a></em> with Cam and Ali Daddo, where the couple spoke about their unlikely romance.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Dancing With The Stars contestant revealed that he first began seeing Chezzi while she was his producer on Sunrise and when they were both in relationships with other people.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, he admitted that their relationship didn’t start with an instant attraction and that they even “hated each other”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was a young, ambitious pain in the arse who thought he knew everything. And she was a creative who thought you know that she could push me around. And I didn’t like that. So we clashed a lot,” he told the hosts.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite their frosty start, Denyer said it all changed during the Melbourne Cup one year.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said they “brushed hands accidentally” and he felt a “tingling sensation” that was “straight out of a Hollywood movie”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was like, I had this instant light bulb reaction - ‘oh my god, I can’t live without this woman’,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, with them both being in relationships, Denyer admitted it was a “bit scandalous”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yeah, love comes in different shapes and forms and times … sometimes convenient, sometimes not.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Chezzi added that they were both “shocked” when they realised they had feelings for each other.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We did not like each other. I kept saying, ‘please, can I produce anybody else at Sunrise other than Grant because he’s always racing cars. He’s off here. You know, doing this weekend. He turns up really tired. Maybe a bit hungover …’ It was doing my head in. So we really struggled,” she recalled.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple tied the knot in 2010 and now share three daughters: Sailor, 10, Scout, six, and Sunday, one.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-91b5d024-7fff-1fdb-bfd0-c2c0b25c8fcc"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Relationships

Placeholder Content Image

Brian Houston resigns from Hillsong amid more scandal

<p dir="ltr">Brian Houston’s reign as the head of Hillsong Church has come to a shocking end, after it was announced he resigned from the global megachurch.</p> <p dir="ltr">The church’s founder resigned as Global Senior Pastor after an internal investigation into two incidents involving Brian found he had breached the church’s code of conduct, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/hillsong-church-brian-houston-resigns-as-head-of-megachurch/f4ead2f0-5292-418f-a38a-5c579ee2680b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Dear Church, we would like to advise you that Pastor Brian Houston has resigned as Global Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church and the board has accepted his resignation,” a statement from the church read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Irrespective of the circumstances around this, we can all agree that Brian and (his wife) Bobbie have served God faithfully over many decades.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We ask that you continue to pray for them, and the entire Houston family, during this challenging time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The church revealed last week that Brian had breached its moral code following the investigation.</p> <p dir="ltr">He allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to a staff member a decade ago, and entered a woman’s room at a conference in 2019 after mixing medication and alcohol.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The first issue was approximately a decade ago and involved inappropriate text messages from Pastor Brian to a member of staff, which subsequently resulted in the staff member resigning,” last week’s statement read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“At the time, Pastor Brian was under the influence of sleeping tablets, upon which he had developed a dependence.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hillsong said Brian apologised to the staff member and received help from the church for his use of sleeping pills.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Following an in-depth investigation, it was found that Pastor Brian became disoriented after a session at the Hillsong Conference, following the consumption of anti-anxiety medication beyond the prescribed dose, mixed with alcohol,” the statement said of the second incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This resulted in him knocking on the door of a hotel room that was not his, entering this room and spending time with the female occupant.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although members of the church were likely rocked by the news on Wednesday afternoon, this moment has been a long time coming for critics of the church and its leader.</p> <p dir="ltr">Brian Houston‘s resignation as Global Senior Pastor of the church comes just a month after he stepped down as the church’s figurehead last month while facing charges of concealing historic child sex abuse offences committed by his father, Frank.</p> <p dir="ltr">He was charged with concealing a serious indictable offence of another person in October last year, pleading not guilty to the charges after he returned to Australia from the US.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hillsong’s external legal counsel gave the board advice regarding the current charge I’m facing and that it would be best practice for me to step aside completely from church completely during court proceedings,” Brian previously said.</p> <p dir="ltr">These aren’t the first scandals Hillsong has been embroiled in either, with accusations of homophobia, celebrity pastor infidelity, and the accepting of millions in tax-free donations from attendees being just a few.</p> <p dir="ltr">“With that tax-free status must come greater responsibility. If you don’t pay taxes, like you and me, then you ought to be more accountable,” former Senator Nick Xenaphon told <em><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/hillsong-church-critic-reacts-to-leader-brian-houstons-resignation/fe878186-9fa6-4b1b-adf1-345478595282" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Obviously there’s a lot to unravel here but if you’re the leader then the buck must stop with you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">With Brian’s resignation, Phil Dooley and his wife Lucinda have now taken over leading the church.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, it’s still possible that this will simply be an interim measure until a new leader is appointed.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0b1858bb-7fff-6b2b-a4e0-f89b17a71040"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Dutton not ruling out legal action against “bizarre” Bob Carr

<p>Defence minister Peter Dutton has slammed former NSW premier Bob Carr, who has claimed Dutton is the one behind the Liberal Party's texting scandal. </p><p>The series of texts were leaked to Network Ten's Peter van Onselen, as the texts were reportedly exchanged between Peter Dutton and Gladys Berejiklian during the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire crisis. </p><p>In the messages, Gladys refers to Prime Minister Scott Morrison as a "horrible, horrible person", with the response from Dutton, according to Carr, called the PM a "complete psycho". </p><p>Bob Carr broke the news on Twitter, saying he knows that Dutton is the one who broke the story to the media and gave permission for news outlets to use the texts.</p><p>He said, "The minister who shared the text with van Onselen and gave permission to use it was Peter Dutton. If PM Morrison has one more week in free fall the prospect of a leadership change pre-election is real."</p><p>"Party rules don’t count if most MPs think you will lead them to defeat."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The minister who shared the text with van Onselen and gave permission to use it was Peter Dutton. If PM Morrison has one more week in free fall the prospect of a leadership change pre-election is real. Party rules don’t count if most MPs think you will lead them to defeat.</p>— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) <a href="https://twitter.com/bobjcarr/status/1490265532204945408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Only one way Peter Dutton can win his case: get another colleague to admit that they were the source for comments about the Prime Minister. If not you, Mr Dutton, which of your colleagues? Until then who has most to gain from undermining further a flailing PM?</p>— Bob Carr (@bobjcarr) <a href="https://twitter.com/bobjcarr/status/1490445035057213443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote><p>Dutton responded on Twitter, saying "Bob Carr's tweet is baseless, untrue and should be deleted."</p><p>The defence minister reaffirmed his innocence in an interview with <em>Today</em>'s Karl Stefanovic, who denied sending the messages and is contemplating legal action against the former premier. </p><p>"Was it you?" asked Karl Stefanovic.</p><p>"It was not me," Mr Dutton replied.</p><p>"He's a bizarre guy. He hasn't produced any evidence. He's now saying if it's not me, then the person needs to come forward to prove my innocence. I just find it bizarre."</p><p>Dutton said that the onus was on Carr to delete the tweets, and that the whole situation is a "farce".</p><p>"He hasn't yet taken the post down," he said.</p><p>"He's made a claim which is clearly defamatory and he now needs to produce the evidence which he can't of course because I never sent that text and it's a farce."</p><p>Karl Stefanovic asked if Dutton would consider challenging the leadership, as "that was what he was "trying to smoke you out for".</p><p>But Mr Dutton shut down those suggestions, saying "No, Karl, no."</p><p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Peng Shuai T-shirt scandal puts Tennis Australia in hot water

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australian Open organisers are at the centre of even more criticism over their handling of spectators with items asking “where is Peng Shuai?”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tennis Australia (TA) has </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-open/tennis-australia-destroyed-over-peng-shuai-tshirt-scandal/news-story/cb7c1678360dd16a87bbf8e996924083" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">stood by</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> its decision after footage emerged of security and police requesting a fan remove her shirt calling for the Chinese tennis player’s fate to be addressed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Shuai gained worldwide attention after she “disappeared” following a post she shared on social media containing allegations of sexual abuse against a former high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though she has since been seen <a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/missing-tennis-star-makes-public-appearance" target="_blank">in videos and photos</a> shared by Chinese state media, many have expressed concerns that those were staged and activists have questioned whether she is able to act freely.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The video of the scene at Melbourne Park ended with police saying TA was permitted to confiscate any material referencing Ms Shuai.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A TA spokesperson told News Corp Australia that the organisation feared for Ms Shuai’s safety, but that fans were not allowed to make political statements with clothing at the Australian Open.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Under our ticket conditions of entry we don’t allow clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political,” the spokesperson said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Peng Shuai’s safety is our primary concern. We continue to work with the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and global tennis community to seek more clarity on her situation and will do everything we can to ensure her wellbeing.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Interestingly, journalists can ask questions about the Peng Shuai situation to players, but fans, seemingly, aren't allowed to.... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/SCqNlH2bOx">pic.twitter.com/SCqNlH2bOx</a></p> — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshMedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshMedia/status/1485052235251957760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Drew Pavlou shared footage online of his friend Max Mok and another person being asked by security about their clothes - including shirts which said “Where is Peng Shuai?” - and later by police.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Mok slammed the TA’s reaction, telling </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/tennis-australia-confiscate-where-is-peng-shuai-shirts-banners-at-open-20220123-p59qi2.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nine newspapers</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> it was a hypocritical decision.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I can remember him  (the security guard) saying over and over that he had been instructed by someone higher up to confiscate (the Peng items),” Mr Mok said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“On top of that, he also kept saying - and I don’t think this was in the video - but he kept saying he had eyes and ears everywhere, you can’t hide, things like that. Who exactly am I hiding from?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He said someone found it political and reported it, but couldn’t say who.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I would be surprised if someone at the ground reported us.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Pavlou also spruiked a GoFundMe page to print more “Where is Peng Shuai?” shirts, revealing on Twitter that it had amassed nearly $6,000 in donations.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Wow, in less than 24 hours we have raised almost $6000 to print a thousand “Where Is Peng Shuai” shirts to hand out for free at the Australian Open women’s final. <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisAustralia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TennisAustralia</a> good luck keeping your $25 million corporate sponsorship from China <a href="https://t.co/BN9oi6mPdl">https://t.co/BN9oi6mPdl</a> <a href="https://t.co/iNiVxDrwP8">pic.twitter.com/iNiVxDrwP8</a></p> — Drew Pavlou For Senate (@DrewPavlou) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/1484846760669638660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Mok said the TA’s treatment of him was hypocritical considering its claims that Ms Shuai’s safety was its “primary concern”, and hoped that more people would follow their lead and show their support for the tennis star.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hypocrisy is an understatement. It’s not sincere, and it’s just a way for them (TA) to avoid a PR disaster,” he told Nine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You can see that from the huge amount of support that we’ve got from the public. If we had less support, this could have gone very wrong.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If Tennis Australia is serious about the movement, they’ll let people in (with Peng-related items). Time will tell which side they’re on.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Regardless, it’ll be a good message to send not just to Australia, but internationally. Imagine a whole court filled with ‘Free Peng Shuai’ shirts?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many have shared their criticisms of the organisation online, while some have pointed out the double standard between spectators and journalists with questions about the missing player.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Interestingly, journalists can ask questions about the Peng Shuai situation to players, but fans, seemingly, aren’t allowed to,” journalist Matt Walsh wrote.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I get if a hotel says 'No thongs', asks you to leave and then calls the police if you don't because the police can see that you're wearing thongs. I don't think the police can look at a 'Where is Peng Shuai?' t-shirt and just as easily tell that it's a political statement. <a href="https://t.co/hTmkcF7EXB">pic.twitter.com/hTmkcF7EXB</a></p> — Shaun Micallef (@shaunmicallef) <a href="https://twitter.com/shaunmicallef/status/1485115549718048771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Comedian Shaun Micallef also weighed in, questioning why asking about Ms Shuai’s whereabouts was a political statement in the eyes of TA.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Only in mainland China would asking after somebody’s whereabouts be regarded as a political statement,” he wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I get if a hotel says ‘’No thongs’, asks you to leave and then calls the police if you don’t because the police can see that you’re wearing thongs. I don’t think the police can look at a ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ T-shirt and just as easily tell that it’s a political statement.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multiple players have been asked about Ms Shuai during the first week of the competition, with Aussie star Ash Barty saying she hoped she was doing OK.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hopefully it’s not too long until we see her back out here,” Barty said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked whether she was concerned that something “sinister” was at play, Barty said she didn’t have the knowledge to answer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, who is a member of the WTA Player Council, also spoke about Ms Shuai, saying the association’s main goal was to hear from her personally, while Japan’s Naomi Osaka said she hadn’t heard any news either.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m not sure if that’s concerning or not,” she said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I feel like it’s a situation where we need more information, which is definitely really hard. Kind of, I think everyone’s waiting.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @CaraMia200 (Twitter)</span></em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Barnaby Joyce's fiancée shares the story of their scandalous relationship

<p>Barnaby Joyce's fiancée has shared the tumultuous story of the pair's relationship, which hit turbulent times after their affair was make public. </p> <p>Vikki Campion, who is 18 years younger than the National's leader, feared she would have to give birth alone and "walk away" from judgemental friends when she was secretly pregnant to the now Deputy Prime Minister.</p> <p>In 2018, Vikki gave birth to their son Sebastian and their second son Thomas a year later. </p> <p>The very public affair between the MP and his staffer forced Barnaby to step down from his role in politics, only to be reinstated years later. </p> <p>Despite the couple's relationship beginning with a rocky start, the pair got engaged in Coffs Harbour last week, with Vikki comparing their relationship to a "great love throughout history".</p> <p>Vikki admitted that the early days of their relationship "wasn't perfect", but also insists that she doesn't regret the drama surrounding their infidelity. </p> <p>In a column for <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/vikki-campion-on-bended-knees-barnaby-asked-me-i-melted/news-story/10307fbe332d4a99bf9c3103ecfa763a" target="_blank">The Daily Telegraph</a>, Vikki said, "<span>Even until the day he said in Parliament that I was his partner, I didn’t believe it to be accurate. He said he would be there in the labour ward and I didn’t believe that either."</span></p> <p><span>The mother-of-two went on to explain that during a whirlwind of "twisted mistakes" and "</span>humiliation", she was forced to "walk away" from her friends before they got the chance to "exile" her. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">"You swap your job for harsh stares, paparazzi and paranoia, schoolyard ­rumours cooking up in Ultimo newsrooms, many without a yolk of truth and you stop answering the door," she said.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">"He has asked me a thousand times: 'Would you go through it all again?' And my answer has always been yes."</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">In December 2017, Barnaby Joyce used the distraction fo the parliamentary debate on same sex marriage to confirm he was no longer with Natalie, his ex-wife of 24 years and mother to his four daughters. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">After photos emerged of a heavily pregnant Vikki, his then staff member, the pair were forced to confirm their relationship, sending Barnaby's political career into disarray. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">After spending several years forced to the backbench of Parliament, Barnaby was reinstated as the leader of the Nationals party in June 2021. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font"><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Relationships

Placeholder Content Image

Voicemail and a car crash: How Tiger Woods’ cheating scandal emerged

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite becoming the first athlete to make $USD 1 billion in 2009, it was also the year that saw Tiger Woods’ life crumble around him as </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/tiger-woods-cheating-scandal-details-elin-nordegren-what-happened-explainer/b93a94da-8d22-4398-a9d3-2c4d58a26c11" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">it was revealed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> he had been cheating on his wife Elin Nordegren with multiple women.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In November of that year, tabloids reported on Woods’ affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. Several days later, he crashed his car outside his Florida mansion at 2am, with rumours emerging that he had tried to flee after being confronted by Nordegren.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following the news of his crash, reports of his infidelity continued to surface from a number of women.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some outlets also reported that Nordegren made the discovery while looking at Woods’ phone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A voicemail allegedly left by Woods for one of the women he was seeing was later published by </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">US Weekly</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hey, it’s Tiger,” a man said in the message. “I need you to do me a huge favour. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and may be calling you.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Woods initially denied the claims, he later admitted they were true and apologised.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the next few months, women continued to come forward with claims of sleeping with Woods during his eight-year relationship with Nordegren.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He would go on to speak about the situation and share new details at a press conference several months later.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was unfaithful, I had affairs and I cheated. What I did was unacceptable,” he said at the time.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A year later, Woods and Nordegren announced they would be getting a divorce.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Daily Beast</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the couple had a prenuptial agreement that would see Nordegren receive $20 million after 10 years of marriage.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Woods allegedly tried to negotiate their existing prenup to get Nordegren to stay – allegedly including an immediate $5 million payment and an added $55 million to the original value - the divorce was finalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to TMZ, she received $USD 100 million ($AUD 129 million or $NZD 106 million).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite their marriage ending, Woods and Nordegren have maintained a good relationship.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The former couple share two children: Sam Alexis, 14, and Charlie Axel, 12.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We communicate so much better now, it’s incredible,” Woods told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">US Weekly</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 2019. “I wish we would have done that earlier on, but it’s been incredible to have a best friend like that.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Relationships

Placeholder Content Image

George Calombaris admits to “crying a lot" during wage theft scandal

<p dir="ltr">Former<span> </span><em>MasterChef<span> </span></em>judge and restaurateur George Calombaris has opened up about his wage theft scandal in 2019, admitting that he “cried a lot” as it unfolded.</p> <p dir="ltr">Talking to Sam Newman and Don Scott for their<span> </span><em>You Cannot Be Serious<span> </span></em>podcast, Calombaris said of the scandal, “It was brutal and I cried a lot.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2019, the Fair Work Ombudsman ordered his hospitality group, Made Establishment, to pay back $7.8 million to workers after failing to pay them penalty rates for several years. Calombaris was also personally penalised $200,000 for the underpayments. His decade-long stint as a judge on<span> </span><em>MasterChef<span> </span></em>was brought to an end that year, after contract negotiations between judges Calombaris, Matt Preston, and Gary Meighan, and Network Ten, broke down.</p> <p dir="ltr">Throughout the scandal, he maintained that it was a mistake caused by inexperience. In addition, as the scandal was unfolding, Calombaris was charged with assault after shoving a 19-year-old at the 2017 A-League grand final for heckling him about the controversy.</p> <p dir="ltr">Early last year, it was announced that Made Establishment had entered voluntary administration. Calombaris admitted on the podcast that he drank during this time, and was an “emotional wreck”. He said, “I drank a lot, I really did. When I drink, I don’t get aggressive, but when I drink excessively like I did in that period, I’m an emotional wreck.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I probably should have opened up more. I was trying to fix it all behind a closed door and I was literally fist-punching myself internally and emotionally.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2017, Made Establishment calculated that its current workforce had been underpaid $2.6 million and publicly disclosed the issue, immediately repaying 162 people and committing to working with Fair Work Australia to ensure the matter was finalised.</p> <p dir="ltr">It eventually came out that the problem was much worse than that, however, with the company being informed in 2019 that they had underpaid staff by $7.8 million, affecting 515 employees over a six-year period. Of the revelation, Calombaris said, “We went to Fair Work and said, ‘Guys we found these issues, we’re paying up, every cent, but we also want to give it to a journalist to talk the story.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"Hopefully that will get everyone else in an industry that is rife with payments under tables and stuff like that, for everyone to pull their socks up. That turned. That became, ‘George Calombaris the wage thief’, ‘George Calombaris in his Toorak mansion living the big life’, blah blah. It went disgustingly bad.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Unfortunately, the name George Calombaris, when it was high, everyone was flying and loved it, everyone wanted to be around it. But when they did that list I became this poster boy as the wage thief. It punched us right in the face.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Daniel Munoz/WireImage</em></p>

Food & Wine

Placeholder Content Image

“Humiliated”: Block star speaks out

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The truth about </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">’s dramatic cheating scandal has finally emerged in full detail, after Blockhead Tanya shared a tell-all post on social media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The truth behind the photo taken of the show’s production schedule first came out in the season finale, with Josh and Luke saying that Tanya had taken it and admitting to their own involvement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, Tanya stuck to her story of receiving it from an unknown tradie, only to admit to the truth when she found out the twins had spoken out.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since then, the mother-of-two </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://9now.nine.com.au/the-block/2021-tanya-breaks-silence-cheating-scandal-apology-post-instagram-s17/6f5ae3b7-a96a-4693-beef-726548525c2f" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">has</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> taken to Instagram to share her story and apologise for her part in the scandal.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is US… A real family! This is the night we found out we were going to be on @theblock. Our whole family were so excited that we had “made the cut” It was truly a privilege to be chosen and we will never ever take this journey for granted,” she began her post, which she shared along with a snap of the whole family beaming.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEsDDVho-T/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWEsDDVho-T/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by MakeupArtist &amp; her Gucci gang (@tanyaguccione)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We want to take this moment to express our gratitude to the whole </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Production team. I still wonder what they saw in us, to see us fit and worthy of our selection. I still wonder why they kept us there after all that went down, they knew how hard it was for us.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanya went on to speak about the struggles she and Vito had while on the show and how they “left 3 times due to what we knew would be a disaster for our family”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Many times we felt unworthy especially due to the scandal, but [the Production team] encouraged us to keep going,” the post read.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I want to apologise and take ownership of my part in this tumultuous road that I took, it was a long and painful bendy path one I paved for myself and only have myself to blame.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanya explained that it was a “fear based decision” that made her “irrational”. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She continued, “and when your irrational you make stupid decisions and then you dig a [hole] so deep that it’s hard to crawl back out.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have regrets and so much that I could say about this season but all I really want to say is Sorry, we let so many people down.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She also noted that she said more in the apology that appeared on the show, but that not everything she said made the final cut.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The humiliation on national television is I can assure you is the biggest punishment of all!” the post continued.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanya said the experience came with “many dark days, tears, feelings helpless”, and that she still has some growing to do.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’m yet to get to the stronger part. But we will get there in Time,” the post read.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The greatest gift was the lesson learned, and continue to learn and grow through this process.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She went on to share her love for the other contestants, saying that “it’s been a wild ride and I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone else!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her emotional post received a flood of support, with many congratulating them on their success at auction and sharing their love for the pair.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The post marks the first time that Tanya has spoken about the scandal since the details first emerged in the final episode.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Winners Mitch and Mark have since thrown their support behind her, </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/winners-of-the-block-issue-statement-to-tanya" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">encouraging others</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to give her a chance.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWAap5SPpRf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWAap5SPpRf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mitch and Mark (@mitchandmark)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Tanya, the purple headed girl &amp; the face of the big lie of @theblock,” the pair wrote on Instagram.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If you’ve ever made errors in judgement in your life that has embarrassed you, please consider what Tanya has gone thru &amp; is dealing with before you judge her, she deserves a chance - we know this is difficult and we’ve had time to talk with Tanya and support her to move forward, please join us and give Tanya a chance, we all deserve it.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Nine</span></em></p>

TV

Placeholder Content Image

Ronnie and Georgia’s sly dig after shock Block result

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The cheating scandal that emerged during the latest season of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has resurfaced in the show’s final episode - and through a subtle dig from Ronnie and Georgia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The pair came last on auction day, despite winning the most room reveal challenges over the season. Their four-bedroom home sold for $3.96 million, with their $296,000 profit quickly being surpassed by the other teams.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following the disappointing end to their time on the show, Ronnie and Georgia took to Instagram to take one last shot at their co-stars over the cheating scandal.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CV-LHMZBHL4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CV-LHMZBHL4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ronnie And Georgia (@ronnieandgeorgia)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> journey might not have ended the way we planned but it was still such a fabulous financial outcome for our family,” they wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We hold our heads high knowing that we left nothing in the tank, did the best we could whilst playing an honest and fair game.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanya and Vito - one of the teams at the centre of the scandal - made a $400,000 profit on top of their $3.4 million reserve, while Josh and Luke - who were also embroiled in the scandal - secured a $530,000 profit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite their hefty paydays, the two teams butted heads during the finale episode after Josh and Luke confessed that Tanya took a photo of the production schedule and shared it with them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Tanya went in there, took the photos, and then she ended up sending them to Luke,” Josh alleged.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Throughout the season, Tanya has insisted that she didn’t take the photo. When given another chance to change her story, she reiterated that she received the photo from an unknown tradie and produced a text message conversation with them. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845392/block-finale1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cd33cca01a4b4d47bd5e1183e20f5119" /></span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanya and Vito ended the show in third place. Image: Channel 9</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Josh and Luke also claimed Tanya and Vito concocted the tradie story as the cheating scandal grew.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the pre-auction meeting with the rest of the teams, Tanya went from anger to tears and insisted she would have told the truth if she had known Josh and Luke were going to confess.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I look like a bigger idiot - I would have said the truth as well,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I would have liked to have been given the heads up or the same opportunity because now I am here in this position saying the jig is up.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a later to-camera interview, she finally confessed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I am sorry, I am truly sorry. Yes, I took the photograph.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The drama came as Mitch and Mark were crowned the winners of the season, with the pair walking away with a $644,444.44 profit from the auction and a $100,000 prize.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They soon took to Instagram to share their elation.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CV-O-N0vOGH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CV-O-N0vOGH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mitch and Mark (@mitchandmark)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Never in our wildest dreams did we expect the opportunity, let alone winning, we feel like the luckiest boys in the world!!!!” the pair wrote.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Channel 9</span></em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Monica Lewinsky discusses her mental health during the Clinton scandal

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monica Lewinsky became a household name after she famously had an affair with President Bill Clinton during the 1990s while interning at the White House.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a recent </span><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/axe-files?episodeguid=b0c4a76a-a89d-47ce-becf-adb3002a2a6a"><span style="font-weight: 400;">podcast interview with CNN</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Lewinsky discussed how the investigation into the scandal, along with the global pressure from the media, drove her to have suicidal thoughts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I just couldn't see a way out. And I thought that maybe that was the solution," she said, explaining how she had asked lawyers working for then-independent counsel Ken Starr about what would happen if she died.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">At the worst moment of her life, when she was seized by the FBI, questioned about her affair w/Bill Clinton &amp; threatened W/prison, <a href="https://twitter.com/MonicaLewinsky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MonicaLewinsky</a> couldn’t see a way out. “What if I die?” she asked the lawyers interrogating her.<br />New <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AxeFiles?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AxeFiles</a>!<br />Pod here👉<a href="https://t.co/6gfKHZOtJ7">https://t.co/6gfKHZOtJ7</a> <a href="https://t.co/4Yqq2pZygW">pic.twitter.com/4Yqq2pZygW</a></p> — David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1443565658575409153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thinking back on her experience, she asks, "How was there not a protocol?" to deal with a unique situation like hers. "That's a point where you're supposed to bring a psychologist in or, you know, something," she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The interview comes as new light is being shed on the affair in a dramatised FX series called </span><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-08/monica-lewinsky-impeachment-american-crime-story-how-to-watch/100436458"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Impeachment: American Crime Story</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, for which Lewinsky is a producer. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monica told the interviewer that after being dismissed by Ken Starr, she began seeing a forensic psychiatrist that helped her get through the ordeal.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I think a lot of people who have ever had suicidal ideations find themselves in a moment where it's just – it's a moment of grace, like, you know, two roads diverged in the woods," she said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"And the forensic psychiatrist picked up the phone. And so I was, you know, pretty, pretty lucky."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an essay published by </span><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2014/05/monica-lewinsky-speaks"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vanity Fair in 2014</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Monica said she had never attempted suicide but that she had "strong suicidal temptations several times during the investigation and one or two periods after."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Monica told the podcast that she constantly had to fight to not be defined by the affair after her views of the situation changed in the wake of the #MeToo movement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"My narrative was stolen and then I lost it by trying to recede, trying to run away from everything that had happened for many years," she said, adding that part of "the work" she had to put in was accepting that she would have to face her past.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She said that through working on the series, she was able to reclaim her story in the eyes of the public. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"This story is about real people and I'm involved in it, but it's also about something bigger. It reflects something bigger in our society. And so as our society changes, there are different ways that this story feels relevant," Lewinsky said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Check out the trailer for the series here:</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rtipQ3EsGWo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p>

Mind

Placeholder Content Image

Tanya and Mark face off over Block cheating drama

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tensions have continued to grow between contestants on </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> as they approach the finale, with Tanya and Mark reigniting past conflicts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Sunday night’s episode, Tanya and Vito were accused of cheating a second time after they tried to obtain a free laundry install after the deadline.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After Tanya told producers the couple were hoping to get a “cheeky freebie”, their plans were discovered by Georgia and Mitch and Mark’s connections with cabinet company Kinsman.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I probably was under the assumption that they probably would do it for free, because money was never discussed,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My story would have been well you guys got it for free so we got it for free too! It would have been a cheeky freebie. Obviously that wasn’t the case.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The conflict came to a head when Tanya faced the other contestants with claims she was prepared to pay the whole time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Because (our laundry) was so huge there was no way we were gonna get it done (during living room week), so we just opted to get it done this week,” she explained to Mark, referring to why she and Vito didn’t complete their laundry when instructed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 280.859375px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844720/mitch-tanya.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f05e9a224e814152b78518270ef174fe" /></span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: The Block / Channel 9</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“(It was a) huge out of pocket expense,” she said, showing Mark her invoice for the installation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mark called out her claims, saying: “I understand that invoice was issued because Scotty and Keith found out what was happening”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He added that Kinsman had also told him Tanya wasn’t expecting to pay.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Come and speak to me next time,” Tanya rebutted.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The latest tense exchange came after Tanya made a comment earlier in the season calling Mitch and Mark “pigs”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanya and Mark debated whether Tanya’s comment, “Don’t fight with pigs because you get dirty and they love it”, was a direct insult or not.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We probably still have never resolved one of those comments about us being pigs,” Mark said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, Mark and Tanya were able to come to a kind of resolution, with Tanya saying, “I am sorry that you took it that way”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mark also thanked her for showing him the Kinsman invoice.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for her apology, he said, “I’ll have to process that.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a parting comment while walking away with Vito, Tanya said: “I love how he wants me to apologise when it’s like ‘oh also, you called Vito a ***, but hold on, I’ll apologise because I’m not a condescending old man’.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: The Block / Channel 9</span></em></p>

Real Estate

Placeholder Content Image

“I felt like a loser”: Sam Burgess spills on cheating scandal

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NRL star Sam Burgess has admitted to having an affair during his four-year marriage to Phoebe, with the details to be revealed on Monday night’s episode of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">SAS Australia</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The retired Souths captain has <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/former-nrl-star-sam-burgess-bombshell-cheating-confession-on-sas-australia/news-story/e2228fa0f76c9c04044d0b34ccaad7c2" target="_blank">finally spoken out</a> about the incident, three years after becoming embroiled in a sexting scandal with a Melbourne woman who alleged he had cheated on Phoebe with her in 2017.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The last 18 months I felt like a loser, my marriage broke down, I had just retired from sport, my ex-father in law had taken out an AVO against me, and whether you like it or not, losing can become a habit, so I’m here because I want to show myself I can still be a winner,” Burgess says on the show.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTT9fS0P7y8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTT9fS0P7y8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sam Burgess (@samburgess8)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The identity of Burgess’ mistress has never been made public.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Burgess and Phoebe ended their marriage following the scandal and three weeks after their second child was born.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After briefly reconciling in 2019, the couple ended their relationship again that same year.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843971/0449a964731e489d1fb3981bbf290243.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ebdc4c23d7a945d69350afcbba190e72" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: SAS Australia</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Burgess is one of 18 recruits set to appear on the second season of Channel 7’s </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">SAS Australia</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which promises to be filled with drama.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Producers are hoping to outdo the success of the previous season, with a controversial tear gas stunt and a recruit getting caught cheating among some of the dramas.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The recruits will be tested by former Special Forces soldiers Mark ‘Billy’ Birmingham, Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox, Ollie Ollerton, and chief instructor Ant Middleton.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other recruits include </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Neighbours </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">actor Bonnie Anderson, Bra Boy gang member Koby Abberton, model Erin Holland, retired tennis player Mark Philippoussis, and former Labor politician Emma Husar.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

“Sh*ts me up the wall!” Scott Cam’s furious ramble over cheating scandal

<p><span><em>The Block</em> host Scott Cam has spoken up about the cheating scandal that has plagued the show, complaining that he has been “scrambling to save” the program.</span><br /><br /><span>While having a chat with <em>Fitzy and Wippa</em> on <em>Nova</em> on Wednesday morning, Cam unleashed when questioned about the controversy.</span><br /><br /><span>Several contestants admitted to viewing and sharing a photo of the show’s secret production schedule.</span><br /><br /><span>Having access to the schedule earlier than other contestants gives an unfair advantage, as it would allow them to plan their rooms weeks in advance.</span><br /><br /><span>“I love <em>The Block</em> and I don’t love anyone messing with it, and that’s messing with it. This is a competition to win $100,000 plus more – up to $900,000 is the record. People have left their homes, their kids, in an attempt to make some life-changing money,” the TV host said.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843609/the-block-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/51f46743ad8c44cda2bbcb9b5898b95d" /></p> <p><em>Left to Right: Kirsty and Jessy, Josh and Luke, Tanya and Vito on The Block. </em><br /><br /><span>“[Contestants] Kirsty and Jesse, the country singing duo – these guys are battlers and this is a really big moment for them.</span><br /><br /><span>“And to have someone cheat and get an advantage, to me is un-Australian, no good and it’s got to be weeded out.”</span><br /><br /><span>Twins Josh and Luke were the first to be called out for cheating, and later they demanded couple Tanya and Vito come forward as well.</span><br /><br /><span>Tanya went on to claim the photo had been sent to her “anonymously” by an ex-tradie on <em>The Block.</em></span><br /><br /><span>“We’ve never seen anything like it on <em>The Block</em> before,” he said.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843610/the-block-4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2833f1e475f4daba088064e408d73ab" /></p> <p><em>Tanya and Luke. Image: The Block</em><br /><br /><span>The radio hosts also played Cam an audio clip of Josh and Luke’s interview on Tuesday.</span><br /><br /><span>It revealed the twins had accused Cam of “going easy” on other contestants who also had knowledge of the photo.</span><br /><br /><span>The twins went on to say Cam allowed them to “get away with it”.</span><br /><br /><span>Cam also refuted the twins’ claim that they’d done anything wrong.</span><br /><br /><span>“Those boys are absolutely kidding themselves,” Cam said of Josh and Luke’s remarks.</span><br /><br /><span>“I am scrambling to save this series, that’s what I’m doing, because people at home will be going ‘this whole thing is not fair, this whole thing is a joke’.</span><br /><br /><span>“So I’m scrambling to save my show because of what they have done.”</span><br /><br /><span>“And if he’s referring to Ronnie and Georgia, you’ve got to be joking. Tanya and Vito had the photo, the boys had the photo, they knew all along what the schedule was.</span><br /><br /><span>“The ball was in their court, certainly not mine and for them to say that that sh*ts me up the wall.”</span><br /><br /><span>Meanwhile, Tanya, who is at the centre of the cheating scandal, told <em>news.com.au</em> that she believes the entire controversy had been a “set up.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843608/the-block-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2a58281d055842748465bb9495971675" /></p> <p><em>Tanya and Vito. Image: The Block</em><br /><br /><span>The contestant says the production schedule had been placed in an easily accessible area, which could perhaps have been purposeful in an effort to tempt contestants.</span><br /><br /><span>“Obviously the photo did end up in my possession, but it was actually in a really obvious spot,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Most of us came by [the schedule] because it was right by the toilet, it was right there on a massive board.</span><br /><br /><span>“It was right there in front of us, so I felt very singled out, like I was the only one who saw it but plenty of others used the toilet that day.</span><br /><br /><span>“It felt almost like it could have been set up.”</span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Hidden camera footage reveals Block cheater

<p>The contestants of <em>The Block</em> have been rocked by a dramatic cheating saga, with the main players of the scandal being exposed on Tuesday night. </p> <p>In shocking hidden camera footage, one couple is seen conspiring to get their story straight before confessing everything to the show's producers. </p> <p>The incident began on Sunday night's episode, when it was discovered that twins Josh and Luke had seen a top secret photo of the show's production schedule, giving them insight on what rooms would be coming up and getting a head start. </p> <p>As other contestants asked where the photo originally came from, Tanya and Vito finally came forward to address their involvement. </p> <p>Tanya said the top secret production schedule had been texted to her by one of the tradies on the job site, and she then forwarded the message to Luke. </p> <p>When producers asked Tanya if she had received the text to her Block number, she responded "Yes," before quickly correcting herself and saying "<span>No, it was my personal phone number.”</span></p> <p>Tanya said that keeping the secret had been "eating her up inside" and she wanted to move on with the competition. </p> <p><span>“So that is the truth, Luke got it from me, but I got it from an ex-tradie from </span>The Block<span>,” she said, adding that within 48 hours she deleted the photo and text message entirely.</span></p> <p>“I could have kept the number and I could have kept the photo but I just couldn’t do that, honestly I really couldn't,” she said.</p> <p>“I deleted the photo initially because I was like ‘I don’t want to be a part of this and I don’t want the person who sent this to me to be implicated by this’. It’s just been a ripple effect.”</p> <p>Despite Tanya's confession, the episode concluded with secret camera footage from <em>The Block</em> tea room where Tanya was having a conversation with her husband. </p> <p>“I’m going to tell the camera what happened about the tradie sending me the photo. It was a number I didn’t know, and I deleted it straight away,” Tanya was heard whispering.</p> <p>“The thing is … it was my Block number, yeah,” she said, contradicting what she told producers.</p> <p>Then, she lowered her voice to drop the biggest bombshell of the episode, advising her husband, “You’ve got to always have the same consistent story...”</p> <p>The saga will continue on the next episode of <em>The Block</em>, where a body corporate meeting will decide the fate of those involved in the cheating scandal. </p> <p><em>Image credit: Channel Nine</em></p>

TV

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.