Maude Tzaneros breaks cover amid family scandal, plus... Bernadette Sukkar's IVF struggle after pregnancy stunt backlash - and Bondi model avoids jail over drink-driving conviction: THE GROUP CHAT

Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia's most trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip

Maude's dirty laundry 

After weeks in hibernation, eastern suburbs socialite Maude Tzaneros - wife of Port Logistics founder Arthur Tzaneros, whose once-mighty empire is now being picked over by liquidators amid $272million in debts - has finally broken cover.

The slimmed-down mother-of-three was spotted sporting a fresh blow-dry while collecting a stack of pressed shirts from a dry cleaner in Bellevue Hill.

'Don't know why Artie [Arthur] needs business shirts when he's fresh out of a job,' one associate quipped.

'She should take up handwashing - much cheaper!'

Earlier this month, The Group Chat revealed Maude, 50, had wiped her social media presence and was bunkering down in the family's $61.5million Bellevue Hill trophy home.

I guess if you're going to disappear from public life, there are certainly worse places to do it.

The sprawling estate boasts four grand bedrooms, a swimming pool and a whopping 1,338 square metres in one of Sydney's most moneyed enclaves.

The Tzaneros family name has been one of the hottest topics in the eastern suburbs since private credit lender ScotPac moved to tip ACFS Port Logistics into administration.

Arthur, meanwhile, was forced to step down as CEO of the family company after text messages in which he appeared to downplay serious sexual assault allegations involving three Scots College students were leaked to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Can this family ever catch a break? Apparently not.

It comes as Maude's freight industry tycoon father-in-law Terry Tzaneros quietly added a second mortgage to the title of his $38million Point Piper home, purchased five years ago.

The second mortgage secures $4.365million in short-term finance, although Terry has not said what the money was for.

The short-term loan was taken out by his company, Sir Randwick Pty Ltd, with Terry and his wife Anne Tzaneros guaranteeing the debt.

The loan carries interest of up to 8.85 per cent over three months - equivalent to an annual interest rate of as much as 35 per cent.

The lender is Pronto Funds, a private lending firm run by Harley Moxon, the nephew of rich-lister Tony Denny.

Jog on, Bernie

Pilates queen Bernadette Sukkar is rounding out her fitness regimen with a run club, at quite possibly the worst possible time.

Mid-jog, Bernadette pulled out her camera to update followers that she had embarked on an IVF journey, joking that she probably hadn't picked the ideal time to take up running.

'Only I would be stupid enough to plan a run club whilst I'm midway through IVF,' she wrote.

'My ovaries are burning and bouncing.'

She followed up with another post revealing she was 10 days into her IVF injections, sharing advice she wished someone had given her before embarking on the journey.

'The physical + emotional toll has been so much bigger than I expected and so many of my hardest moments have been triggered by trying to keep up with work at the same time,' she wrote.

Many fertility specialists advise patients to avoid vigorous or high-impact exercise during parts of the IVF process, particularly while the ovaries are enlarged due to stimulation medications, although recommendations can vary depending on individual circumstances.

The honest admission comes five months after Bernadette was forced to swiftly delete an April Fool's Day post after it sparked backlash from followers.

The socialite, who is married to Buildcorp CEO Jordan Sukkar, was called out for being 'insensitive' after pretending to be pregnant to promote prenatal classes at her Body by Berner business.

She uploaded a video to her personal and business Instagram accounts showing what appeared to be a fake baby bump under her top.

At the end of the post, she clarified it was an April Fool's joke while adding that she was 'manifesting' a pregnancy for 2026.

Model behaviour   

It would seem the threat of jail time for drink driving has not scared off a former model from having a boozy night out with her gal pals.

Bondi artist and curator Amy Finlayson just scraped by with a conviction and no time behind bars on Wednesday when she fronted Waverley Local Court and pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink driving charge.

Finlayson, who has previously graced the covers of Italian Vogue and French Vogue, was stopped at around 10:30am on August 14 on Campbell Parade at Bondi Beach while driving her Mini Cooper.

She blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.088 after a big night of drinking wine until about 2am.

Her solicitor, Michael Djurichkovic, said Finlayson 'didn't have anything to eat the night before of that morning and thought she was all right to drive'.

Judge Margaret Quinn gave the dry response: 'They all do.'

But despite appearing 'remorseful' over getting behind the wheel of a car while buzzed, Finlayson appeared to be back on the booze just days before she was set to appear in court and learn her fate.

Everything was business as usual following her charge as she continued to post content to her personal socials as well as her art curation account, The Fin Collection.

Sharing content online doesn't raise flags, particularly if one conducts their business online.

However, the eyebrow raising post came a few weeks ago on September 2 when she announced on her business page that she had collaborated with Bar Bruno in Sydney's CBD, curating a collection of art to hang up in the venue.

The post included several images of artworks hanging on the walls of the bar, right next to shelves of wine bottles.

With no mention of her drink driving charge in sight, followers in the know could only have a quiet chuckle and head shake at the on the nose gig.

But then Finlayson kicked things up a notch last Wednesday when she shared yet another post about Bar Bruno, showing off the artsy tiles in the venue with the caption: 'Come for the wine, stay for the tiles.'

At this point, it's hard to say if Finlayson is completely blind to the irony, or purposefully poking fun at her own run-in with the law.

But just when we thought she couldn't take things a step further, Finlayson made another post to her personal Instagram account on Sunday, proving she wasn't too scared to have a few bevvies amid her pending drink driving charge.

Thankfully, this video was a simple peek at her evening as she explored an contemporary art collection at Carriageworks in Sydney, no bars in sight - at first.

Predictably, the end of the clip saw Finlayson winding down with a friend as they shared a few clips.

They could be seen clinking their glasses together as they sat in front of a table with, what appeared to be, four alcoholic drinks and two glasses of water sitting on it.

It's very likely they had other guests with them to help consume the drinks, but it is a questionable move to share a video of yourself sitting at a table with multiple beverages just days before learning your fate in court over a drink driving charge.

Nevertheless, Judge Quinn took mercy on Finlayson on Wednesday and only slapped her with a $500 fine and disqualified her from driving for three months.

The North Bondi artist, who has no prior history with the courts, will also be required to use an interlock breathalyser in her car for 12 months.

'It's not the worst thing in the world, you haven't hit anybody, you haven't killed anybody,' Judge Quinn said, adding that a 'jail sentence entirely inappropriate for you'.

'You have done your rehabilitation, you have expressed your remorse.'

In addition to Vogue covers, Finlayson's modelling career also saw her walk the runway for brands such as Scanlan Theodore, Ksubi, Alex Perry and Camilla and Marc.

Nowadays, as an art curator, she has worked with several luxury venues across Sydney, including Dear Sainte Eloise, Fabricca, Matteo Restaurant, Soluna and Lou Lou Bistro.

Peak Byron achieved

Just when I thought Matt Cameron - the King of Kuta - had reached peak Bali spruiker, a reader hands me another juicy chapter in the saga of the Sydney expat-turned-wealth guru.

Frankly, I may need a corkboard and some red string to map this out.

It turns out Cameron's former model wife, Cassie Matthews, has now married Nicho Plowman - the ex-husband of Sass & Bide founder Heidi Middleton.

According to my source, the pair crossed paths at a yoga retreat led by Plowman, where Matthews was a student during her marriage to Cameron - before that union inevitably went 'tits up'. And the rest, as they say, is wellness history.

While Cameron reinvented himself in Bali as a wealth guru, Matthews dove headlong down the spiritual rabbit hole, rebranding as a Tantra teacher and promising to help women 'awaken their inner goddess'.

I'm cringing just typing that.

Still, credit where it's due: the woman has credentials to back it up. Her website boasts a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Certified Tantra Teacher (LoveWorks), PSYCH-K® Master Facilitator, over a decade of spiritual study and practice, founder of two six- and seven-figure wellness businesses, mentorship from 'spiritual teachers worldwide' - and, most importantly, more than ten years as an international model.

And now, in a twist almost too on-the-nose, the former Mrs Cameron and her new husband have decamped to Byron Bay. Where else?

Plowman now teaches Vedic meditation, while Matthews peddles her tantric goddess gospel.

So, while Matt's in Bali teaching people how to get rich, his ex-wife is up the coast teaching people how to find their inner goddess.

LaPaglia's withdrawal issues 

One evening this week, a routine stroll to the shops for milk turned into an unexpected encounter with Australian acting royalty Anthony LaPaglia, who I found getting rather intimately acquainted with an ATM in Bondi.

There was cursing. There was banging on the machine. And there was the distinct impression the ATM had eaten his card, a nightmare we've all lived through.

But the man standing in front of me certainly did not look like an Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actor, dressed in tracksuit pants, slides and a hooded jumper that shielded his five o'clock shadow.

Then again, even Hollywood royalty has to battle an ATM from time to time.

Quite what he needed cash for in this increasingly cashless world, I have no idea...

It's been a trying few years for LaPaglia, whose third wife, Alexandra Henkel, separated from the actor and filed for divorce in late 2025 after seven years of marriage.

'I'm getting divorced, thank God. I'm much happier because of that,' he told Stellar magazine earlier this year.