Sophie Monk's split with long-time manager Sean Anderson turns nasty as he reveals why their feud is 'unfortunately' heading to court

Sophie Monk's split from her long-time manager Sean Anderson is heading to court. 

The Love Island host, 46, left Anderson's 22 Management, one of Australia's leading celebrity talent agencies, in January after six years of being represented by the firm.

Now the separation has turned bitter, with Monk locked in a legal fight with the company. Monk was due to appear in Sydney District Court on January 22, just days before news broke she had left Anderson's agency.

The case will return to court next month. 

When the Daily Mail contacted Anderson for comment, he initially seemed caught off-guard by the line of questioning.

'I need to think about that one,' he said, adding he needed to 'collect [his] thoughts' before he could speak more on the matter.

He later got back to us saying: 'This is a business dispute.

'We've loved every minute of the six years that we managed Sophie but unfortunately she feels like we owe her money and we feel she owes us so unfortunately, despite attempts to negotiate, we'll need a court to work out who is right and who is wrong.' 

Daily Mail has also contacted Monk for comment. 

News broke of Monk ending her professional relationship with Anderson, 55, earlier this year, marking a major shift in her career.

The split was confirmed after Monk quietly removed 22 Management from her Instagram, and both she and Anderson unfollowed each other on social media.

Anderson is known for managing former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins and helping her establish her brand.

He also represents a host of high-profile Australians including Tammy Hembrow, Ruby Tuesday Matthews, Lindy Klim, Kerri-Anne Kennerley and David Koch.

In November, he was spotted enjoying a celebratory night out with Hembrow, 31, with paparazzi shots of the pair making their way onto gossip forums. 

Chatter quickly escalated online about the pair, with some questioning whether the photos reflected a typical manager-client dynamic. 

However, Anderson promptly put the speculation to bed, telling the Mail's Lucy Manly: 'I'm not sure what you are talking about – I haven't seen anything, but I'm 55, Lucy! C'mon.'

The exact reason for Monk's split from Anderson's 22 Management - beyond the bare facts of it being a dispute over money - has yet to be made public.  

Monk joined 22 Management six years ago, after previously being represented by Anderson's former protégé, Titus Day.

Day, 53, and Anderson saw their 20-year friendship collapse after Monk jumped ship, reportedly blindsiding Day with her decision to leave Media Talent Management. 

Monk's lawyers sent his firm, which was owned by Day's wife Courtney, a notice of termination in December 2019. 

The following month, in mid-January 2020, Anderson told The Sydney Morning Herald that Monk approached him to represent her. 

'We had been friends for 20 years, I went around to his [Anderson's] home to sort it out on Saturday and look him in the eye,' Day said at the time.

'Let's just say we are not friends anymore, it was a pretty tense visit... Sean and I worked together for five years, we were incredibly close.

'Even after I left him to set up on my own, I would call him about clients that wanted to come with me, to give him notice as a courtesy... I had no warning this was coming.' 

Day had been managing Monk on and off for 10 years at that point, and had been close friends with Anderson for about 20 years. 

Anderson confirmed Day had visited his home unannounced after he signed Monk, with the pair ending their friendship after a tense exchange.