Very nasty gossip rocks Sydney's elite as four society couples split in the same year - some just months after their lavish weddings. Here's what insiders are saying...

Divorce lawyers are rubbing their hands with glee in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

It hasn't been 'happily ever after' for a handful of high-society couples whose relationships - including three marriages - all came crashing down within a year of one another.

The ladies at the centre of the break-ups now make up an unofficial 'first wives club' among the well-heeled 'in' crowd, offering support to one another as they navigate their new lives.

The dominos started to fall in July when reports emerged PR agency owner Montarna McDonald had quietly separated from her lawyer husband Nick Pitt.

That split remains shrouded in mystery after a newspaper gossip item about their marriage breakdown was mysteriously wiped from the archives.

Just days later, it was revealed Montarna's friend Sophie Coote had split from her husband Daniel Fraser, the news emerging when she moved on with a new love in August.

That same month, another member of the Bondi elite, kinesiologist Harriet Williams, reportedly separated from her publicist husband Andy El Bayeh.

That wasn't the end. In late November, the famous 'nude artist' Dina Broadhurst confirmed her split from appliances heir John 'Herman' Winning Jr. when she unexpectedly rocked up solo to the wedding of her friend Bernadette Fahey.

Speaking of Ms Fahey, her society union with property developer Jordan Sukkar has been dragged into some rather unkind gossip following the recent spate of break-ups.

The news that two members of Bernadette's bridal party, Harriet and Montarna, had recently separated from their husbands was greeted with derision by eastern suburbs snobs, with one insider sniping: 'Two bridesmaids going through a divorce is hardly a good omen, is it?'

Add to that Dina breaking up with her boyfriend on the morning of the ceremony and the gossips were in full force by the time Bernadette and Jordan said 'I do'.

While some have tried to link the spate of splits to the Sukkars' society wedding of the year, we hear the cashed-up newlyweds aren't bothered by chatter their marriage is somehow 'cursed'. In fact, they couldn't be more in love.

Before tying the knot at Scots College on December 1, Bernadette had thrown a lavish hens party including newly single Harriet and Montarna, as well as their pals Britt Gallagher, Kris Macourt and Hannah Gold.

Days after the Sukkars tied the knot, Montarna held a celebration of her own. 

She rang in her 'first wives' era by hosting a divorce party surrounded by her closest girlfriends - including the newlywed Bernadette - at Coogee celebrity hotspot Mimi's.

In what was certainly a deliberate choice, she decided to hold the bash on the eve of what would have been her and Nick's six-year wedding anniversary.

The eastern suburbs 'It' girl invited her friends to wine and dine on lobster, pasta, salad and fries all while sipping expensive white wine, before she revealed the icing on top of the cake... literally.

She sliced into a cake bearing her new name, Montarna McDonald, formally announcing she was reverting to her maiden name. Her Instagram handle soon followed suit.

In a final nail to the coffin, Montarna and Nick's former marital home in leafy Paddington sold late last year for an undisclosed sum.

There was no sale price given for the glorious 1900s terrace on Renny Street, but value estimates suggest it went for about $4million.

While still deciding her next steps, Montarna is understood to have decamped to her parents' lavish five-bedroom home in Clovelly as she gears up for a fresh start.

The PR maven, who worked for Roxy Jacenko at Sweaty Betty before starting her own agency, has remained tight-lipped about the reasons for her split from Nick, with whom she shares two daughters.

And, surprisingly for such a high-profile couple, details regarding their separation have remained scant in the months since the news became public.

They were married for six years and together for 10. Their wedding was held in 2018 at Redleaf Wollombi, just a short drive from the wineries of the Hunter Valley. 

Montarna was, of course, far from the only person in her social circle to face heartbreak in 2024. Just weeks after her love split became the talk of the east, one of her close friends also parted ways from her husband.

And it was certainly one of the more unlikely break-ups of the year, given it came just months after the lovebirds tied the knot.

Fashion designer Sophie Coote and Daniel Fraser quietly separated last year, having only wed in June 2023. They tied the knot in a lavish 'secret garden' ceremony in Western Australia, and their nuptials even featured in Vogue.

She wore a fitted, strapless gown with a detachable tulle train and sheer, ruched gloves by Ahmed Alkhyeli. But despite looking a million bucks, the marriage soon faltered.

Though it is not known when they split, they would have been husband and wife for less than a year because Sophie moved on with her new man Jordy Burrows, the ex-husband of Fast and Furious actress Nathalie Kelley, in August 2024.

'They are really loved up. It is beautiful to see,' a close friend told The Daily Telegraph at the time, adding they were 'extremely happy' and had already moved in together.

The two had been friends for some time before they began dating and are said to be keeping their romance 'low key' for the time being, sources claimed.

Meanwhile, Harriet and Andy's marriage split became public in August of last year.

The couple was said to have abruptly ended their six-year relationship while in the middle of a European holiday in a very unexpected ending to their love story.

Before their sudden separation, they had been posting loved-up images together as recently as the start of August as they travelled around Greece and Italy.

Then something catastrophic must have happened because they unfollowed each other on Instagram and their split emerged days later, shocking Sydney's social set.

They had exchanged vows in a fairytale wedding on the grounds of the Wollumbi Estate in March 2022 after four years together.

Their three-day forest-themed nuptials were arguably the society event of the year - it also made the pages of Vogue - and set the couple back an estimated $1million.

Harriet walked down the aisle while being serenaded by Sebastien Tellier's La Ritournelle, in what she later described as a 'surreal' and 'magical' moment.

'The styling of the wedding was inspired by the magic of nature,' Harriet told the fashion bible. 'It was all about the florals and forest.'

However, their marriage lasted just two years before the two went their separate ways, with Harriet now embracing the single life with her girlfriends.

The last society split of 2024 wasn't a marriage breakdown, but it was no less surprising: Dina Broadhurst capped off the year of heartbreak for Sydney's east by ending her short-lived romance with millionaire refrigerator heir John Winning Jr. on December 1 - the morning of the Sukkars' wedding.

The art collector had started dating the Winnings Appliances CEO at the start of last year, after the two had already known each other for some time. 

But after a whirlwind eight months of dating, which saw them travel in New Zealand and California, they came to the realisation their lifestyles were not compatible.

Dina then put the break-up behind her by turning up at Bernadette's wedding by herself, sporting a brave smile - and awe-inspiring revenge dress.

In a sign their relationship is well and truly over, the former couple has already unfollowed each other on Instagram and Dina is believed to be single.

She now has plenty of time to consider her romantic future after moving into her old apartment in Darling Point where she used to live with another ex, Max Shepherd.

She and Max went their separate ways back in June 2023, and put their three-bedroom unit up for sale in November with a $11.5million price guide.

However, Dina confirmed this month she had pulled the property from the market because she was still deciding whether she wanted to keep it.

'I'm doing a trial living here over the summer until I work out if I will keep it or buy overseas next year instead,' she told Daily Mail Australia.