Pip Edwards breaks silence on Jackie O as she reunites with former bestie Leah Simmons... Plus, crumbling perfume brand's OTHER embarrassing business fail: THE GROUP CHAT

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

Smells like failure

It was meant to be their big international moment.

Raquel Bouris and husband Adam - nephew of high-profile silver-fox Mark Bouris - uprooted their young family in January 2025 and relocated to London, declaring they were taking their fragrance brand Who Is Elijah global.

They'd locked in a deal with UK retailer Boots - though, judging by the social media spin, you'd be forgiven for thinking Harrods was on the horizon. The reality is far less glamorous - Boots is the UK's answer to Chemist Warehouse - or as I like to call it, 'girl Bunnings', not a luxury beauty destination.

And then, almost as quickly as it began, it was over.

Just nine weeks later, the family was back on home soil, retreating to their beloved 'God's country' in Sydney's Sutherland Shire. So why was their much-hyped global expansion cut conspicuously short?

Rumours that the company's success was more bluster than reality had been swirling long before the Bourises' homecoming, with industry insiders questioning for years the relentlessly upbeat narrative around their supposedly $20million brand.

Now, those whispers are only getting louder. 

According to CreditorWatch, Who Is Elijah is currently rated an 'impaired risk', with more than a million owed to the taxman and upwards of $280,000 outstanding to suppliers.

Behind the scenes, creditors appear to be circling with two invoice defaults registered, including a reported $224,378 owed to Sydney perfumer and ingredient supplier Baker & Co dating back to November. Adelaide-based e-commerce provider Ecom Nation is also said to be chasing $57,808, outstanding since December.

Then there's the ATO, which has reportedly lodged a $1.41 million default as of mid-March, typically reserved for debts more than 90 days overdue.

Attention has also turned to the brand's use of Shopify Capital  - a fast-access funding model that advances cash against future sales. Previously touted by the e-commerce platform as a tool to manage cash flow and inventory, it begs the question: is that infusion of fast cash shoring up the business, or simply adding to its strain?

When I called Raquel on Tuesday, she sent me straight to voicemail, although she did later respond to my text message to insist the allegations were 'fake news'.

'The ATO misplaced our payments, which created the default. Which has now been lifted,' she said.

She then peddled the same line she's used on every journalist who has called her for comment this week: 'Stop tearing women down.'

It follows claims the brand - which once flew staff around the globe on work trips -  made redundancies in February, before giving up the lease on its Taren Point factory.

Later on Tuesday, I spotted Adam at their current premises - a warehouse on an industrial estate in Sydney - although he appeared to be clearing out, placing items in boxes and large bins.

Then, as I was preparing this column on Wednesday, Raquel posted a video to Instagram telling followers, 'Who is Elijah has not shut down'.

She complained she had been 'crucified across the nation' since stories emerged of the company's ATO debt, which she once again blamed on an 'administrative error'.

Insisting the issue had now been resolved, she said, 'The ATO and I are besties'. 

Raquel did confirm that business had moved out of its Sydney warehouse, but claimed this was because the 'global brand' was 'expanding rapidly'.  

Despite the mounting questions, there are whispers Raquel is still cruising around town in her Porsche even as bills continue to stack. Hopefully it's a rental!

Tat's amore 

British reality star Ruby Adler, the latest girlfriend of pint-sized real estate powerhouse Gavin Rubinstein, co-founder of The Rubinstein Group (TRG), has revealed plans to remove 80 per cent of her hand tattoos, including those on her engagement hand.

If that isn't an unsubtle hint for him to 'put a ring on it', I don't know what is.

On a recent episode of her Wednesday podcast with co-host Melissa Tattam, Adler shared that her engagement ring finger currently sports a red number nine and an alien tattoo.

But she explained that she wants her hands 'completely clear of ink' for this new chapter of her life.

'I just feel a clean hand looks more beautiful,' she said, adding that she doesn't want her tattoos visible during school pickups.

School pickups? Whose kids, Ruby? Unless you're moonlighting as a nanny, it sounds a lot like someone is already imagining domestic life as the future Mrs Gavin Rubinstein - before he's had a chance to get down on one knee.

Whether this is purely an aesthetic decision or a hint at a bigger romantic step with the Luxe Listings agent, one thing's clear: Adler's plans have become the centre of conversation in Sydney's tight-knit eastern suburbs where she's been living since October.

I'll be watching closely to see what happens next, and you'll be the first to know.

Besties back on 

It was a celebration of women's health - but all eyes were on an unexpected reunion.

On Tuesday, the elite of Sydney's wellness world descended upon Bondi Icebergs to celebrate P.E. Nation founder Pip Edwards' new collaboration with menopause supplement brand, Biolae. 

It wasn't long before the exclusive event became a backdrop for a social plot twist no one saw coming, as Pip reunited with her former best friend Leah Simmons for the first time since their reported falling out last year. 

Guests couldn't help but notice the pair looking every bit like their old selves again, chatting, laughing and sitting side-by-side throughout the event.

Leah even led the applause for Pip after she gave a heartfelt speech about her struggles with perimenopause and how it led her to partner with Biolae. 

It's a far cry from where things stood just over a year ago.

The eastern suburbs duo -  once inseparable and regularly spotted strutting down Campbell Parade in coordinated activewear - are said to have had a falling out in late 2024 when Pip began dating Joshua Clapp, Leah's ex and the father of her teenage son. 

Pip and Joshua took their romance public just before New Year's, but things had fizzled out for the couple by March 2025.

But the damage was done - with Leah notably absent from Pip's lavish 45th birthday bash the following month.

It was no wonder the pair's united front at Tuesday's event raised more than a few eyebrows. 

Adding to the intrigue was the noticeable absence of Jackie 'O' Henderson - Pip's current ride-or-die, who is often by her side partying at Icebergs. 

Partygoers were quick to ask questions, but Pip insisted to Daily Mail that their friendship was very much intact.

As for Leah, it seems time may have healed old wounds.

The pair first met back in 2004 and quickly became inseparable.

In a 2016 interview with Marie Claire, Leah famously recalled their first encounter: 'My friend told me that I had to meet his new girlfriend to see if she was good enough for him. All I remember was this little punk in a spotted onesie and a rat's tail coming to meet me for lunch - and it was love at first sight.'

'We ditched the boyfriend and have been best friends ever since,' she added.

Pip, for her part, once described them as 'more like twin sisters than friends.'

Additional reporting by Monique Friedlander