4 days ago
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Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia's most-trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news
The billion-dollar question
Will they or won't they?
It's the question on the lips of Sydney's society set regarding the nuptials of our favourite May-December lovebirds, 81-year-old billionaire Robert Whyte and his 38-year-old fashion marketer fiancée Alessandra Eddy.
According to several sources, their plans to walk down the aisle have not moved forward since news broke of their surprise engagement earlier this year.
'It's now a case of will they actually get married, not when,' one acquaintance of the age-gap couple tells me.
Will they or won't they? It's the question on the lips of Sydney’s society set regarding the nuptials of our favourite May-December lovebirds, 81-year-old billionaire Robert Whyte and his 38-year-old fashion marketer fiancée Alessandra Eddy (pictured together)
Whyte proposed to Eddy, who is 43 years his junior, in May - just days before one of the ritziest days on the society calendar, the Gold Dinner fundraiser
'All bets are off, if you ask me.'
Whyte, a Rich Lister and former Kerry Packer confidant, proposed to Eddy, who is 43 years his junior, in May - just days before one of the ritziest days on the society calendar, the Gold Dinner, a fundraiser for the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation.
Mr Whyte's estimated $898million fortune earned him a decent spot in the Australian Financial Review's 2024 Rich List of the nation's wealthiest 200 people.
He has amassed extensive assets spanning local and international equities, real estate and outdoor advertising.
Ms Eddy, a mother and prominent figure in Sydney's social scene, founded fashion brand Luna Atelier and is known for her role on the Gold Dinner committee.
It's no secret Ms Eddy's father Nicholas Eddy, a well-known Paddington lawyer, is said to be less than pleased about the relationship, especially after his daughter moved into Whyte's $30million mansion.
You're never too young for a (half) facelift
After last week's blind item about a fashion designer getting a 'partial facelift', my phone ran hot with calls and texts about all the celebrities who've secretly been under the knife for the surgery de jour.
For the uninitiated, a partial facelift (sometimes called a half or mini facelift) is a trendy cosmetic procedure that targets the lower third of the face, elegantly tightening and smoothing the skin around the jowls, neck and jawline.
It's a less invasive and more subtle alternative to a traditional facelift, which is why younger women prefer it.
It's also more budget-friendly, with a mini facelift costing as little as $20,000 while a comprehensive full face and neck lift can set you back up to $70,000.
While it may be a more delicate approach, it's still a facelift. Which is a pretty extreme surgery for anyone to have - especially the young influencers and socialites I am reliably informed are booking them in over Christmas.
Surgery enthusiast Skye Wheatley (pictured here after having fox eye lift surgery in Turkey) is one of few Australian socialites who'll admit they've had a mini facelift - the surgery du jour
I was a guest at an influencer summit this week in Bali, hosted by Balearic Beauty International. Everywhere I looked, I saw faces full of filler, porcelain teeth, bulging butts and breasts bursting with saline - and a few tell-tale signs of the half facelift.
Guests included former reality stars Skye Wheatley and Kiki Morris, and a heap of influencers excited for the chance to shoot content at the luxury private villa in Uluwatu.
Living in Sydney's eastern suburbs, I'm no stranger to the ever-changing faces of the glamorous elite. But some of the work these women were displaying was extreme!
Skye, 30, who was only recently forced to deny she was 'addicted' to going under the knife, told me she was trying to scale back her surgeries in 2025.
In September, she underwent a 'fox eye lift' in Turkey. The minimally invasive procedure uses dissolvable threads to lift and elongate the eye in order to create a more almond shape and an upturned look, and typically lasts for six to 12 months.
She also had a half facelift - making her one of the few celebrities among those I know have had it done to actually admit it.
Skye (pictured at the Balearic Beauty International rebrand event in Bali this week) has had a mini facelift, a less invasive, more subtle and usually cheaper alternative to a traditional facelift
And finally... guess who, don't sue
A popular on-air personality who likes a drink appears to have lost her driver's licence.
For weeks now, the radio star and her daughter have been ferried around Sydney in her SUV by an elderly gentleman who is neither her boyfriend nor a relative.
'He looks like a driver,' a clued-up paparazzi tells me.
She's been taken to work, home and massage appointments. Her usually responsive management did not reply when contacted for comment.
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