Katie Williams and Georgia Hull have spoken out about their health ordeal after their Sydney apartment, which costs almost $1,000 a week, became infested with black mould.
Williams, a beach sprinter and former Big Brother contestant, and Hull, a well-known make-up artist, were renting the two-bedroom Rose Bay unit in Sydney’s inner east when they developed health problems about 18 months ago.
“I was getting rashes on my eyelids, I had really bad asthma, I had tightness in my chest… I was waking up with headaches, hungover and groggy, I just didn’t feel well, and that was at the beginning,” Williams said. The Daily Telegraph.
She described how the mould, which was originally only present in a few spots on the walls and cracks in the windows of the old apartment, then spread.
“The disease kept getting worse and worse. It was growing on our clothes, on all our furniture and on the paintings,” Williams said.
‘Our health also got worse and worse and now I take steroids and these pills that are specific for the lungs,
“The black mold spores, if you stir them up, you can inhale them… they can poison you… I’ve had a lot of chest infections,” Hull added.
The couple spent 18 months trying unsuccessfully to get their landlord to fix the problem while paying a combined rent of $975 a week, but eventually decided to move out after failing to get anywhere.
Former Big Brother contestant Katie Williams (left) and make-up artist Georgia Hull (right) spent 18 months trying to remove black mould from their rental property before moving in.
The couple said they both developed a series of illnesses from the mold spores (file image)
They believe airflow and humidity caused the problem as the windows in their old apartment were painted over and they have now chosen a newer, airier unit in Bondi, even though they are paying more rent.
The couple added that they had to go through all of their belongings and throw away many items that had been contaminated with mold so that it would not spread to their new home.
They also took on a roommate to help with the rising rent, but felt they needed to stay in the Bondi area as that is where most of their work takes place.
The couple got engaged in February this year after dating since 2021.
“We’ve been through a lot of personal ups and downs during lockdown and we’ve helped each other through them. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve danced and we’ve embraced it all,” Williams previously told Daily Mail Australia.
“She’s actually my first girlfriend. Before Georgia, I’d dated guys. It’s very different, it’s an emotional bond like no other,” he said.
“I’m very proud of how we’ve handled our relationship. After Big Brother I was bullied and questioned about my sexuality, but I stand firm in who I am and what I love.”
In April, the couple said their wedding date had not yet been decided.
“I’ve been busy trying to plan our own wedding (no date set yet) but I’m testing the waters on vendors, location, budgets and logistics,” Hull wrote on her Instagram Stories.
Meanwhile, Williams revealed that the “non-traditional” wedding will take place over two days over the next 12 months.
“Two brides. Two rings. Two days. A non-traditional WEDDING in less than 12 months,” the Big Brother star wrote alongside a photo of her engagement.
The couple have now moved to Bondi from Rose Bay as they prepare for their wedding in the next 12 months.
The loving couple also asked their friends and fans for recommendations and tips for their ceremony.
Williams said that although she didn’t think she would marry a woman a few years ago, she has “never been happier.”
“I don’t identify with labels, I’m just in love with who I am and it feels really beautiful that we’re getting married and can have this future together,” she said.