1 week ago
13
Adelaide's social scene has been turned upside down after two prominent South Australian influencers had a brutal falling-out that has become the talk of TikTok.
Now, one of the women has spoken to the Mail about why she decided to air their dirty laundry - while the other dispatches her boyfriend to contain the scandal.
Alex Paige Moore and Matilda Baxter - better known as 'Tilds Search' - were best friends from 2021 to 2024.
But their rift was laid bare in May when Alex, 28, posted a TikTok video sensationally addressing a storm of outrageous rumours circulating about her - including baseless claims she underwent an intimate surgery.
While the Daily Mail makes no accusations of wrongdoing, what is clear is that Alex had suspicions that Matilda was at least aware of the damaging gossip.
Speaking exclusively to us last week, Alex revealed she posted the dramatic video to reach those who had heard the claims about her - and to set the record straight.
Adelaide's social scene has been turned upside down after two popular influencers had a brutal falling-out. Pictured: Alex Paige Moore (left) and Matilda Baxter (right)
Alex Paige Moore (right) and Matilda Baxter (left, before undergoing a dramatic transformation, including tattoos, cosmetic procedures and tanning) were friends for years before falling out
'The reason I made the video was because I had no possible way of finding every person [who had heard the false rumours],' she explained.
'It spread so far... The only way I could get my story out there was to make a video.'
In addition to addressing the various claims she'd heard about herself, the clip also highlighted Alex's belief that Matilda was a flaky, fair-weather friend.
'We were best friends, but whenever I was going through a hard time, like a public break-up, she wasn't my friend anymore,' she claimed.
'Once things calmed down, she became my friend again.'
Alex alleged that in January 2024, when she went into hospital to address a 'scary' health issue, Matilda 'bailed' after agreeing to support her.
After this, Alex claims that Matilda - the founder of cult swimwear label Tildssearch - tried to twist the narrative by saying it was Alex who did the bailing by not being around when Matilda previously had a breast augmentation.
'I was planning to have surgery in Sydney, which I booked all around her schedule because she said she would sign me out,' Alex said.
Join the discussion
Is it ever justified to publicly call out a friend, or should some things stay private?
The cracks in their friendship were exposed in May when Alex uploaded a video to TikTok explaining their rift. Alex told the Daily Mail that she posted the dramatic video to reach those who had heard various false rumours about her - and to set the record straight
'Then a few days before my surgery she was like, "Actually, no, I'm not coming."'
Alex went on to share a voice note she received from Matilda just days before the surgery, in which she apologised for not being there for her friend.
'That was just me not having the perspective. No, I'm so sorry, I feel f***ing like a b***h,' Matilda could be heard saying in the message.
Alex went on to claim: 'Funnily enough, she's told the majority of people that the reason we aren't friends is because I did that to her [bailed on a surgical appointment]. Which never happened.'
According to Alex, the final nail in the coffin for their friendship came when she caught wind of a graphic rumour that she had undergone intimate surgery downstairs.
Alex claimed she had reason to believe Matilda knew about the false rumour - the details of which the Daily Mail has chosen not to publish.
She posted a screenshot of her text message exchange with someone who claims they once discussed the surgery rumour with Matilda.
In the screenshot, this person said the hurtful gossip left them 'confused' and they laughed it off as a 'joke'.
In the background of this, Alex also told the Mail that she heard other whispers about herself that weren't true - including claims about her parenting, her income, that she does not credit social media collaborators, and that she is 'ugly in real life'.
Alex claims the false gossip impacted her career, costing her brand deals.
The Daily Mail does not suggest Matilda was behind the vicious rumours about Alex, only that Alex grew suspicious as their friendship unravelled.
Matilda, who first had filler and Botox at age 18, has changed her appearance significantly in recent years. If it weren't for a distinctive red script tattoo on her wrist, you'd be forgiven for thinking these two photos were of different women
According to Alex, the final nail in the coffin for their friendship came when she caught wind of a rumour she had undergone intimate surgery. Alex says she has reason to believe Matilda knew of the rumour, after messaging someone who claims they discussed it with her (above)
Things took a nasty turn after the two women cut ties, with Matilda demanding that Alex take down her video detailing all her allegations about their friendship breakdown.
Alex told the Mail that she suspected Matilda was 'offended' because her video was so 'embarrassing' and it challenged her TikTok persona as a 'girl's girl'.
Alex said she initially agreed to delete the clip after Matilda's lawyer gave assurances that Matilda would also delete damaging videos she had uploaded about Alex.
However, Alex claimed that within hours of this ceasefire, Matilda uploaded a new TikTok video naming her and calling her a liar.
'I made my first post about the situation, and she asked me to take it down,' she said.
'When I did [remove it], trying to be the bigger person, she used it as a weakness, claiming I deleted it because I was lying.
'She blocked me on everything and then put her own post back up so I couldn't see it, ensuring she could still get her side of the story out unchallenged.'
According to Alex, Matilda claimed to have 'served' her with 'defamation papers' over the videos she made - but she insisted that wasn't the case.
The matter appears not to have escalated beyond a lawyer's email.
When the Daily Mail approached Matilda (left) to hear her side of the story, her boyfriend Alessandro (right) contacted us on her behalf. 'We would respectfully ask that nothing be published regarding this matter,' he said
'[She said that] I did it for likes, I did it for attention, I did it for followers. It was all bulls***,' Alex said.
'It's been a couple of months. I received a letter from you asking [me] to take the video down, but where's the court case, girl?'
When the Daily Mail approached Matilda to hear her side of the story, her boyfriend Alessandro contacted us on her behalf.
Suggesting that Matilda was the victim in all this, he declined to comment and asked us not to publish any story about his girlfriend.
'This has been an ongoing situation for quite some time and it's been affecting Matilda,' he said.
'We would respectfully ask that nothing be published regarding this matter. I hope you can understand where we're coming from.'
English (US) ·