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 former Pip factor
At the end of last year the news came. Pip Edwards She had gotten together with the ex-husband of one of her close friends, the personal trainer Lea Simmons.
The PE Nation founder had tried to keep her new romance with the interior designer under control. jose clapp but, Pip being Pip, he soon became the talk of the eastern suburbs.
When our photographer photographed them kissing on Sydney beach, the only question on everyone’s lips was: “What does Leah think of all this?”
When we first met her outside her fitness studio, she simply laughed and said “no comment.” But now, a few weeks later, we know how he really feels.
Just late last year came news that Pip Edwards had hooked up with interior designer Josh Clapp, the ex-husband of one of her close friends, personal trainer Leah Simmons.
Was he incandescent with rage because Pip broke the ‘girl code’? Was she burning her ex-husband’s remaining possessions in the driveway?
Er, not exactly.
Those expecting a scandal will be sorely disappointed, because I’m reliably informed that Leah has been telling friends that she’s “totally fine” with Pip dating her ex.
For some women, seeing the man they once hoped to spend their life with trapped in Pip’s trance would be painful to watch, but Leah seems to be taking it in stride.
Which is lucky, since she and Josh are parents to a teenage son. Ryderand they still have close ties, as Josh designed and built the gym he now runs.
In fact, Leah’s Instagram feed includes family photos of the exes spending quality time with Ryder, as well as their youngest daughter from a later relationship.
As for Leah’s friendship with Pip… that’s another story, insiders tell me they aren’t as close as they used to be..
Before her cozy trip to Camp Cove with Josh, Pip seemed to be on a roll with her boyfriends.
I’m told that Pip’s former best friend Leah Simmons (pictured right, with a friend) is “totally fine” with the PE Nation founder having an affair with her ex-husband.
In fact, just before returning to Sydney, she had been in the US with millionaire businessman and Grill co-founder Geoff Bainbridge, but it is believed their romance was only a short-lived fling.
A gym to cry
Want to shred alongside celebrities, reality TV stars and some of Sydney’s most influential gym buffs?
Fitness fanatics in the eastern suburbs apparently do, as desperate would-be members of Bondi’s new exclusive Beachouse gym, overlooking the famous stretch of sand, are doing everything but offering a kidney for acceptance.
Rumor has it that getting a membership at the request-only gym and high-society hangout has become so sought-after that grown men have been reduced to tears upon receiving its approval.
Located on the second level of the Pacific building on Campbell Parade, the luxury wellness center requires referrals and in-depth analysis through its social networks.
This breezy wellness mecca in Bondi is home to a dog-friendly, ocean-view gym that every celebrity and influencer in eastern Sydney is desperate to become a member of.
There is also a dream bathhouse underground
Rejection means more than having to live in a chain gym or boot camp: it’s a damning criticism of your social status, or lack thereof, even if you can afford the high monthly dues.
Notable members include Hugh Jackman (when he’s in town), Real Housewives of Sydney star Caroline Gaultier, The Bachelor alum Jimmy Nicholson, and a host of influencers.
The luxurious new wellness space is part gym, part spa, part social club, and premium memberships include packages with the Slow House luxury sauna, located beneath the gym.
The Quay West Hotel on Melbourne’s South Bank is where the Australian cricket team stayed during the Boxing Day Test.
The bathhouse offers magnesium pools, a traditional Finnish sauna, a relaxing steam room… and it wouldn’t be Bondi without ice baths.
But they’re not half as cold as a rejection letter from the membership department.
And finally…guess who, don’t sue
Bail is over for one of the golden couples of top-level Australian cricket.
During the Boxing Day test in Melbourne, one of our national players and his wife slept in separate suites at the Quay West Hotel on the South Bank.
“It’s an open secret that they are headed for divorce,” one WAG told The Group Chat.
“We all knew they stayed in different suites during the test.”
According to the source, the couple is quickly (and quietly) mediating a divorce settlement given the player’s significant involvement in a business with rising shares.
We’ll let you figure out who the player is. But it will soon be news. And remember, you heard it here first!