Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia’s most trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news.
The billion dollar question
Will they do it or not?
It’s the question on Sydney society’s lips regarding the May-December nuptials of our favorite lovebirds, billionaire Robert Whyte, 81, and his fashion marketer fiancee, Alessandra Eddy, 38.
According to multiple sources, their plans to walk down the aisle have not moved forward since news of their surprise engagement broke earlier this year.
“Now the question is if they will actually get married, not when,” an acquaintance of the age-gap couple tells me.
Will they do it or not? It’s the question on Sydney society’s lips regarding the May-December nuptials of our favorite lovebirds, billionaire Robert Whyte, 81, and his fashion marketer fiancee, Alessandra Eddy, 38 (pictured). photo together).
Whyte proposed to Eddy, 43 years his junior, in May, just days before one of the most lavish days on the society’s calendar, the Gold Dinner fundraiser.
“In my opinion, all bets are off.”
Whyte, a Rich Lister and former confidant of Kerry Packer, proposed to Eddy, 43 years his junior, in May, just days before one of the most lavish days on the society calendar, the Golden Dinner, a fundraiser of funds to the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation. .
Whyte’s estimated $898 million fortune earned him a decent spot on the Australian Financial Review’s 2024 rich list of the country’s 200 richest people..
He has amassed extensive assets spanning local and international stocks, real estate and outdoor advertising.
Ms Eddy, a mother and prominent figure on Sydney’s social scene, founded fashion brand Luna Atelier and is known for her role on the Golden Dinner committee.
It is no secret that Mrs Eddy’s father, Nicholas Eddy, a well-known Paddington solicitor, He is said to be unhappy with the relationship, especially after his daughter moved into Whyte’s $30 million mansion.
You’re never too young for a (half) facelift
After last week’s blind article about a fashion designer who underwent a ‘partial facelift’, my phone heated up with calls and texts about all the celebrities who have secretly gone under the knife for surgery. of the day.
For the uninitiated, a partial facelift (sometimes called a half or mini facelift) is a trendy cosmetic procedure that focuses on the lower third of the face, elegantly tightening and smoothing the skin around the jowls, neck and the jaw.
It is a less invasive and more subtle alternative to a traditional facelift, which is why younger women prefer it.
It’s also more affordable, with a mini facelift costing as little as $20,000, while a full face and neck lift can cost up to $70,000.
While it may be a more delicate approach, it is still a face lift. Which is a pretty extreme surgery for anyone, especially young influencers and socialites I’m reliably informed will be booking them for Christmas.
Surgery enthusiast Skye Wheatley (pictured after undergoing fox eye lift surgery in Turkey) is one of the few Australian socialites to admit she has had a mini facelift – the surgery of the day.
I was invited to an influencer summit this week in Bali, organized by Balearic Beauty International. Everywhere I looked, I saw faces full of filler, porcelain teeth, bulging buttocks and saline-filled breasts, and some telltale signs of the half-facelift.
Guests included former reality TV stars Skye Wheatley and Kiki Morris, and a host of influencers excited by the opportunity to film content at the luxurious private villa in Uluwatu.
Living in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, I am no stranger to the ever-changing faces of the glamorous elite. But some of the work these women showed was extreme!
Skye, 30, who was recently forced to deny that she was “addicted” to going under the knife, told me she was trying to reduce her surgeries in 2025.
In September she underwent a “fox eye lift” in Türkiye. The minimally invasive procedure uses dissolvable threads to lift and lengthen the eye to create a more almond shape and upturned appearance, and typically lasts six to 12 months.
She also got a half-face lift, making her one of the few celebrities I know who have done it to admit it..
Skye (pictured at the Balearic Beauty International rebranding event in Bali this week) underwent a mini facelift, a less invasive, subtler and usually cheaper alternative to a traditional facelift.
And finally…guess who, don’t sue
A popular on-air personality who likes to drink appears to have lost his driver’s license.
For weeks now, the radio star and her daughter have been transported around Sydney in their SUV by an older man who is neither her boyfriend nor her relative.
“He looks like a driver,” an informed paparazzi tells me.
They have taken it to work, home, and to massage appointments. Its usually responsive management did not respond when contacted for comment.