6 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.
An elite match
I love nothing more than a concert in my own backyard, and last week's Golden Hour presents Crowded House at Bondi Beach proved to be a gold mine of Group Chat regulars amidst the crowd of linen-clad Gen‑Xers.
Upon arrival, I spied Quantaco boss Anthony Sullivan looking very comfortable with a platinum blonde on his arm.
Rumours have been swirling for months that he's dating Bushells tea heiress Alisha Oxley. It's all a bit hush-hush, despite the pair being otherwise unattached, and for weeks the papers have been trying to get them together. Seeing them canoodle near the bar all but confirmed it.
At first glance, Oxley could almost be mistaken for Sullivan's ex-wife, Shelley Sullivan, the powerhouse entrepreneur behind the wildly successful MCoBeauty empire, who sold the remaining 50 per cent stake in the company last year in a deal valuing it at over $1billion.
Prior to their split, Shelley and Anthony Sullivan often enjoyed lavish overseas trips together
I spied Anthony Sullivan among the crowd of linen-clad Gen‑Xers at the Crowded House concert last Friday night with his new squeeze Alisha Oxley
Bushells tea heiress Alisha Oxley (left) looks strikingly similar to beauty industry trailblazer Shelley (right, at last year's Silver Party)
But make no mistake: it was Oxley - who, I should note, isn't just an heiress, but also a practising solicitor.
Oh, and her famous family calls the Darling Point heritage-listed, grand Gothic mansion Carthona home.
Sullivan, meanwhile, lives across the harbour, where he splashed out a record-breaking $41million - in cash - on a newly built waterfront pad in Kirribilli, more than double the suburb record.
Whispers suggest he pocketed a tidy sum from MCoBeauty's sale around the time he split from Shelley.
During that break-up, reports linked Sullivan to Double Bay eyebrow technician Kristin Fisher, who in 2020 was accused of an entanglement with hairdresser Tom Cole when they were both married. (She would later insist there were 'no secrets and certainly no affairs' with Cole).
Fisher blasted the innuendo about her and Anthony at the time as 'unequivocally false' and denied having anything to do with the Sullivans' split. We don't suggest otherwise.
The Group Chat understands Shelley and Anthony are now on amicable terms.
Oxley herself has her share of headline-worthy history.
Oxley was pictured out and about in Double Bay on Thursday, clad in expensive activewear
She was spotted after doing the school run and attending a Pilates class
The Oxley family calls the Darling Point heritage-listed, grand Gothic mansion Carthona home
Across the Harbour, Anthony is living in his new $41million waterfront castle
She shares two children with Dennis Dowlut, one half of early-2000s R&B duo Disco Montego, best known for the hit Beautiful.
Their relationship publicly imploded in 2021 amid reports Dowlut had allegedly disappeared, sparking an emergency statewide alert. He was soon found.
As an aside, I also hear Shelley has moved on too - but her inner circle remains tight-lipped about her mystery man's identity.
As soon as I find out who he is, you'll be the first to know.
Legal eagles' love story
Nothing sets tongues wagging quite like the love life of a senior judge and a much younger colleague.
This week, Chief Justice Will Alstergren confirmed he had entered into a relationship with fellow judge Amanda Mansini, who has served on the Federal Circuit and Family Court since 2022, following his marital separation.
But it's not their close working relationship that has people whispering, it's Justice Mansini's striking resemblance to Alstergren's estranged wife Kate.
Fortunately for the jurist, there's a rather plush landing ahead if he decides to retire.
Alongside a judicial pension most can only dream of, he's also a timber scion who inherited his own private Eden, Satellite Island, the family's secluded retreat off the coast of Tasmania.
While married, the Alstergrens played happy hosts in spreads for Vogue Living and House & Garden, proudly showcasing their windswept Tassie sanctuary. Not a bad place to ride out a few tricky headlines in the AFR or Lawyerly, should one need to.
Now, I don't profess to know every rumour drifting through chambers, but one truth remains: there isn't a more industrious gossip network than the Australian legal fraternity.
Chief Justice Alstergren was chairman of the Victorian Bar in 2013 and President of the Australian Bar Association in 2017 before he was appointed judge. Away from the courtroom, he was Captain of the Australian bobsled team from 2002 to 2006.
Chief Justice Will Alstergren is pictured with his estranged wife Kate
Judge Amanda Mansini's past appearances on Sky News after dark alongside commentator Peta Credlin hint at her political views
The pair have racked up a fair few frequent flyer points, travelling together in part to promote the Court Dog Program. (Alstergren and Mansini are pictured in 2023)
If the whispers are to be believed, questions about his relationship with Justice Mansini first began swirling at a soirée at the National Gallery of Victoria last Thursday, before spilling into the pages of the AFR. By Tuesday, the Chief Justice had emailed all fellow judges to formally confirm the romance.
'Chief Justice Alstergren confirms that he separated from his wife [Kate] almost six months ago and he is in a consensual relationship with another Judge,' a court spokeswoman said.
'Senior Judges of the Court were advised at that time, and appropriate steps have been in place since then to avoid any concerns of conflict of interest, such as administrative decisions.'
The pair have racked up a fair few frequent flyer points, travelling together in part to promote the Court Dog Program.
Word is that Justice Mansini long ago called it quits with her husband and they have officially gone their separate ways, no longer living under the same roof in Brighton.
Following her romance with Justice Alstergren going public, a few intriguing details have quietly emerged.
Firstly, Justice Mansini may shoot from the right hip politically, as suggested by a past appearance on Sky News after dark with conservative commentator and Tony Abbot's former chief of staff Peta Credlin.
That's fine, if true - judges are entitled to their private political views like we all are.
Then there was the transition, backed by Michaelia Cash in 2022, from her role as Deputy President of the Fair Work Commission to a non-pensioned division of the amalgamated Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Taking a job without a judicial pension is a curious move.
Bib bandit busted
Entrepreneur Chad Cohen, once a darling of Sydney's marketing scene, has been caught out - confessing to faking his way through the Sydney Marathon in a bid to qualify for the Boston race.
Cohen found himself in hot water after Instagram account Official Unofficial Times, which claims to protect marathon integrity and uphold chip‑timed results, published an 'integrity investigation' into him and fellow runner Harry Bell, accusing the pair of being so-called bib bandits.
According to the page, Melbourne's Bell wore two race bibs during Sydney's 2024 marathon - one his own, and one registered to Cohen - so he could race in a faster group. Race data reportedly showed identical splits at every checkpoint for both men, a virtually impossible outcome unless they were run by the same person.
It's not exactly a flattering look for Cohen, whose agency has worked with brands such as New Balance and Rebel Sport, producing video, photography, and marketing campaigns that capture cultural trends.
Chad Cohen (left) has confirmed he faked his way through the Sydney Marathon to qualify for the Boston race. Harry Bell (right) wore two bibs - his and Cohen's - while running in 2024
Caught off guard when I phoned him last week, Cohen sheepishly admitted to cheating.
'I was injured and wasn't running,' he said.
'I had no negative intentions, it was very early in my running career - I had no idea you weren't allowed to share bibs. I gave my bib to Harry to allow him to race in a faster group.'
He insisted he was not banned from any major marathons.
'I've since spoken to Sydney Marathon organisers and everything has been cleared.'
But, true to form, soon after his confession, he backtracked, insisting his name and comments shouldn't be included in this story. A bit late for that.
Everybody nose, Krissy!
Former Real Housewives of Sydney star Krissy Marsh made heads swivel when she arrived for her daughter Milania's 18th birthday with husband Johnny while sporting a nose bandage
Former Real Housewives of Sydney star Krissy Marsh made heads swivel when she arrived for her daughter Milania's 18th birthday with husband Johnny.
But this time it wasn't her sharp fashion sense prompting the double‑takes.
She made her grand entrance sporting a nose bandage - rumour has it, her third nose reconstruction.
But leave it to Krissy to turn even a post-op look into a statement: the mum of three not only wore it like a badge of honour, but proudly posted the evidence on Instagram.
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