Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where ‘s most-trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news.
Handbags at dawn
What’s juicier than an influencer break-up? Why, an influencer breaking up with their stylist, of course!
This week, a source spilled all the messy details of the friendship bust-up between ex-Miss Universe Olivia Molly Rogers and her former stylist Paul Versace.
The once ‘joined at the hip’ besties came to a confusing end in late 2024 when they quietly parted ways professionally before wiping all traces of one another from their respective social media accounts.
What went wrong? Well, I am told Rogers felt let down ‘one too many times’ by Versace who ultimately chose to star on Sydney-based reality show Made in Bondi rather than focus on his budding fashion career in Melbourne.
Could Paul Versace be green with envy over Olivia Molly Rogers’ new working relationship with his former assistant Megan Cross?
It was also a classic case of the protégé succeeding the master.
According to my insider, prior to his rift with Rogers, Versace had hired up-and-coming stylist Megan Cross as an assistant at his ‘Style by Bloom’ practice.
After insisting Cross quit her day job because he was inundated with clients, work at Style by Bloom dried up because he was spending more and more time in Sydney.
‘Then Olivia decided to work with Megan instead of Paul,’ adds my source.
While Rogers and Versace still follow each other on Instagram, the model was last seen on his business account seven months ago, in September 2024, when he styled her for the Spring Gala at Flemington Racecourse.
The beauty-queen-turned-podcaster has been notably absent from his socials ever since, but does make regular appearances on Cross’s Instagram account.
My source reckons Versace’s temporary move to Sydney to star in the low-rating reality show based on the UK’s Made in Chelsea hasn’t exactly paid off.
‘He lost his biggest client and Made in Bondi doesn’t look like it’s going to be cast for a second season.’
Versace was the man who played matchmaker for Rogers and her new boyfriend Hugo Breakey (the couple are pictured together at the n Grand Prix on March 12)
Megan Cross is now styling Olivia after she parted ways with her former bestie Paul Versace
It’s all rather sad, especially given Versace was the man who played matchmaker for Rogers and her new boyfriend Hugo Breakey.
Breakey, of course, helped heal Rogers’ broken heart after her messy divorce from Justin McKeone and subsequent split with Morgan Waterhouse.
‘Paul spotted Hugo on the dancefloor [at a Melbourne bar], went up to him and said, “You’re handsome, are you single? I have the perfect girl for you.” Then he told him to wait right there,’ Rogers revealed in a Q&A on Instagram last July.
Moments later, Paul grabbed her, pulled her towards Hugo, and the rest was history.
An Amazing Riddle
Our DMs blew up this week with TV types telling us to ‘look into The Amazing Race’.
Honestly, that’s not a show I watch, let alone ‘look into’, but after asking around, I did indeed uncover some tattle about a member of the crew allegedly being let go.
They didn’t spend long in the unemployment line, according to the unproven rumour, as a TV personality ‘threatened to walk’ if they weren’t immediately reinstated.
When we went to the production company and Ten for comment about the specifics of the rumour, we received a strongly worded email advising that what we had heard was false and defamatory.
Our DMs blew up this week with TV types telling us to ‘look into The Amazing Race’. I soon discovered a bit of gossip that Channel Ten and the production company were quick to deny
So we shall err on the side of caution and not publish the details.
But, should this become a big story in the future, remember where you heard it first…
And finally… guess who, don’t sue!
An Instagram photo of a young woman walking up the steps of a mansion is now at the centre of a bitter society split.
So, what’s the fuss all about?
Well, allegedly the lady in the photo is, er, paid by the hour, if you know what I mean – although she likes to keep that part of her life discreet.
Which means the picture of her at the house could possibly be proof the wealthy gentleman homeowner was… do I need to spell it out?
The photo pinged in my DMs recently and it didn’t take me long to recognise the steps via real estate photos and work out whose name was on the title.
Now, of course, I can’t identify any of the parties involved for legal reasons. But suffice it to say, there is one very unhappy housewife out there…
- The subject of this blind item is not mentioned or pictured elsewhere in this article.