
Real-life Magic Mike and Channing Tatum lookalike Will Parfitt is spotted on MAFS 2026 set - as weddings get underway in Sydney
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that male entertainer Will Parfitt, widely known as Australia's answer to Magic Mike, was spotted filming scenes for the new series.
The international stripper - who boasts 3.2 million Instagram followers and bears an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood star Channing Tatum - was seen stepping out of a white limousine on set as part of groom Daniel Hewitt's wedding party.
The hunky star was dressed in a black tuxedo, walking ahead of Daniel as the groom arrived at his wedding in Sydney.
Will was photographed walking into the ceremony venue holding a ring box.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that male entertainer Will Parfitt, (pictured) widely known as Australia's answer to Magic Mike, was spotted filming scenes for the new series
The duo, who have been close friends for years, looked sharp and composed as filming captured their entrance.
An insider confirmed Parfitt is part of Daniel's official bridal party and played a key role in the day's celebrations.
'Will and Daniel have known each other for years,' a production insider confirmed. 'They're tight - and it made sense to include him in the wedding. He definitely brought energy to set.'
After moving Down Under, the 35-year-old removalist was scouted by a club promoter and began working for Magic Men, an agency specialising in bachelorette parties and private events - just like Tatum's handyman character in the 2012 drama.
Stripping as 'Channing' in an ode to his famous doppelganger, Mr Parfitt has grown an audience of 252,000 Instagram followers and a whopping 2.4million on TikTok - where fans say they find him even more attractive than his handsome namesake.
As previously reported, Daniel has made over $9.6 million in property sales over the past 12 months and is expected to be a central figure in the upcoming season.
But it wasn't just Will in attendance- fellow entertainer and long-time friend Davey Hughes was also present.
The inclusion of two high-profile strippers in the groom's party signals a bold move from producers, who are clearly aiming to turn up the heat for what promises to be MAFS' wildest season yet.
'This year's cast is next level,' a source said.
'There are influencers, former athletes, creative types - even a groom with an OnlyFans account. Bringing in someone like Will adds to the spectacle.'
Filming for MAFS 2026 is currently underway across Sydney, with several weddings already in the can.
While the newest season of MAFS has kicked off with a bang, according to reports, it nearly didn't happen.
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed the 2026 season almost didn't make it to air after last-minute cast dropouts forced producers to scramble behind the scenes.
'They had multiple people pull out and had to move quickly to fill those spots,' one well-placed source revealed.
But the end result? A bold, diverse cast of professionals, creatives, and big personalities - with producers tipping this to be one of the 'most explosive seasons yet.'
'Some couples are hitting it off immediately, others are absolute mismatches - the drama is already building,' one insider said.
While Channel Nine has not yet announced an airdate, the season is expected to premiere early next year.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
6 minutes ago
- The Sun
Love Island producers brought back the baby challenge to ‘stop couple from winning', claim fans
FANS of Love Island think that producers brought back the baby challenge to prevent a certain couple from winning the series. The Love Island final is in touching distance, and fans are convinced the iconic baby challenge made a comeback to ensure one couple does not win by any means. 4 4 Fans think that show bosses do not want one of the couple's to win the £50K cash prize and title of 2025 Love Island winners. That couple is Jamie Rhodes and Yasmin Pettet. The couple, who got together after Casa Amor, recently went exclusive after meeting each other's friends and family. But despite their strong bond, there seems to be a rift of sorts between the pair. When the baby challenge kicked off in Thursday's episode, it was clear that Jamie and Yasmin wanted different things in life. Yas was less than impressed and told her partner that she's not maternal and has no interest in becoming a mother. Despite seeing kids in his future, Jamie assured Yas it wasn't a deal breaker for him. Jamie told Yas he was surrounded by children in his family, and "probably would" want to have children of his own one day. Yas then said she'd rather her friends have kids that she spends time with so she can "give them back". She confessed: "I've never had the desire to have a family." Love Island fans 'work out' why Dejon turned on Meg as villa's strongest couple hit the rocks days before final "It's not a complete deal breaker, but it's definitely up there," Jamie responded. This conversation then sparked fears for the couple, with one eagle-eyed fan thinking the challenge was brought back to purposely ensure the pair do not win this summer 's series. A fan on X shared their theory, writing: "Hear me out: the producers brought back the baby challenge for like 10 minutes just to prompt a conversation between yas and jamie wanting different things because they don't want them to win." "Yes 100% agree with this," said one person. LOVE ISLAND 2025 - ALL the dumped stars so far LOVE Island 2025 is in its penultimate week. Here are all the dumped Islanders so far ... Sophie Lee Blu Chegini (has since returned) Malisha Jordan Will Means Shea Mannings Poppy Harrison Caprice Alexandra Megan Clarke (has since returned) Remell Mullins Ryan Bannister Alima Gagigo Martin Enitan Chris Middleton Yas Broom Rheo Parnel Giorgio Russo Emily Moran Andrada Pop Ben Holbrough Tommy Bradley Lucy Quinn Lauren Wood Harrison Solomon (quit) Emma Munro Boris Vidovic Billykiss Azeez "Actually tho because megan and toni also don't want kids but that conversation wasn't shown???" added a second. "And I still voted for them because I'm not a sucker," declared a third. While the original poster replied: "Producers think they're so sneaky but we see through it!" Meanwhile, others predicted the pair will not last long. "Oh dear - Yas & Jamie might fall out over wanting kids," said one person. "I love them. But Yas and Jamie won't last. They just want different futures. Jamie would be an amazing dad," said a second. While a third wrote: "That's the end of Yas & Jamie…he fully got the ick Kids is always a deal breaker for someone who really wants kids, especially when you then try to tell man about your cat instead." 4


Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Princess Ingrid Alexander of Norway settles into Sydney university life as she carts a box of wine back to her room
Princess Ingrid Alexandra proved she was just like every other university student on Thursday when she picked up a box of wine bottles with a friend. The future queen of Norway, 21, touched down in Australia last Friday to begin a three-year undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney. And she wasted no time trying to fit in with the campus culture as she picked up a bottle of booze and went back to her student room with a mate. The princess kept her outfit casual for the drink run, slipping into a pair of loose-fit white jeans and black cardigan over a matching crew-neck shirt. She wore a name tag on her clothes, which simply read Ingrid, and left her brunette locks loose. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The future queen of Norway touched down in Australia last Friday to begin a three-year undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney And she wasted no time trying to fit in with the campus culture as she picked up a bottle of booze and went back to her student room with a mate Ingrid finished her look with a pair of sensible blue sneakers as she strolled alongside a female friend while carrying her box of wine. The chic royal, who is second in line to the throne after her father, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, looked every inch the average uni student. She arrived Down Under last week and posed on the Sydney campus for a series of photos she uploaded to Instagram. The Royal Household's full statement from Ingrid read: 'I'm looking forward to starting my studies at the University of Sydney. 'It will be exciting to become a student, and I'm looking forward to gaining new perspectives on both European and international politics. 'I'm sure that I will learn a lot.' Ingrid appeared ecstatic as she posed up a storm in the country's capital. The princess donned a casual fit, which included a pair of faded blue jeans, a navy blue jumper and white sneakers. The chic royal, who is second in line to the throne after her father, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, looked every inch the average uni student She marked the joyous occasion with a series of images taken around what appeared to be the University of Sydney campus building. One picture showed the royal standing in front of the establishment's tall brown brick building, while another showed her seated in front of the reception steps. She also held a collection of white folders and envelopes, perhaps documentation linked to her new course at the university. Her decision to move to Australia to continue her studies comes after she embarked on military training at the Engineer Battalion in Brigade Nord last year.


Times
34 minutes ago
- Times
John Eales: half CEO, half legend, 100 per cent guru on art of captaincy
Let's start with the nickname because, as everyone seems to know, John Eales's nickname is 'Nobody'. As most people also seem to know, it came about because of the saying that nobody is perfect. Eales laughs and protests: 'Nobody ever calls me that.' Not strictly true, but here's how it started. It's at the end of Australia's tour in November 1996. Eales, by that stage, had a World Cup winners' medal from 1991 and had been captain for a year. He was already a long way to establishing himself as one of the all-time greats. At the end of the tour, the players had a tradition where they would buy one other player a joke gift. Eales was given a book from the Mr Men series; it was Mr Perfect. 'No one had ever called me that,' Eales, 55, says. 'But then Campo [David Campese] says, 'Oh, that's ridiculous, nobody's perfect' and he must have thought it was funny and said it to a journalist, who interpreted it as what my team-mates called me. The reality was that nobody ever called me that, but once that had happened, it just had a life of its own.' Only very occasionally thereafter did any team-mates call him 'Nobody' and that, he says, was just 'to annoy me'. Meanwhile, here in Sydney, passers-by still sometimes call him it. 'What's funny,' he says, 'is that over in the UK, I get it all the time.' If it has somehow stuck, though, it does not feel inappropriate. We are in his offices near the harbour talking about the state of the game, the state of the British & Irish Lions series and the challenges of captaincy. It is fascinating to see how his mind works. He is half rugby legend, half chief executive, 100 per cent cerebral. I ask him about the psychology of the third Test, with the Lions already 2-0 up. 'People overrate emotion as a defining difference between winning and losing,' he says. 'When you're playing at this level in big Test matches, it's going to be very similar across the board. No one wants it more than someone else. 'Look, I played in a lot of great teams and also in other teams where people said, 'They lack passion' — but in reality what we lacked was skill. I have a strong view that there's often very little difference between the best teams in the world at their best. The biggest difference is when they're at their worst. And it's not being bad for minutes, it's being bad for moments.' Eales cites the lineout the Wallabies lost straight after half-time in the first Test in Brisbane that led to a Lions try: 'It's just having those lapses for moments. It is what costs you momentum.' So if he was Harry Wilson, the Australia captain, he wouldn't be focusing on emotion for this final Test? 'Going into a big game like this, your number one, two and three focus has to be: what skills do we need? What are the tactics we're taking into this game? And what are the skills we need to execute expertly to be able to deliver on those tactics and strategy?' Eales says. 'There might be ten different ways you can win a rugby game. So then you've got to say: OK, what is our best chance to beat this Lions team this weekend, and what are we going to focus on to be able to do that?' I ask him how different the task would be for a captain today; it is 24 years since he left the fray and leading young people is now a different challenge. He says two things. One: he's glad that he didn't have to deal with social media, and two: the standards of competition across leading nations are higher, which makes it harder to get to the top. Yet he's not persuaded that the way teams work now is really so different. He goes back to when he joined the Australia senior set-up in 1991: 'For a new guy coming in, I hope it's not a lot different to when I first walked into a Wallabies camp and [the captain] Nick Farr-Jones shook my hand and said: 'Great, it's so good to have you as part of this team. We expect you're going to be a part of this for a long time to come,' ' Eales says. 'When I was captain, I always used to think: I want someone to feel like I did that day. 'I also remember before playing my first Test, Tim Gavin [the No8] came up and said: 'Mate, don't worry, whenever you're out there, we're there with you. If you need us, we're there.' ' He sees no reason why that shouldn't be the message today, too. Don't forget that leadership and high-performance is pretty much Eales's specialist subject. The captain he loved watching as a boy was the Frenchman, Jean-Pierre Rives. 'I found him an inspirational guy,' he says, 'and I later became very friendly with him.' In his playing career, he enjoyed jousting with Martin Johnson — 'a guy I had the highest regard for'. Eales is the man who retired as a World Cup-winning captain and then looked to see how to apply his understanding of leadership to business. In the process, he wrote two books called Learning From Legends — one where he interviewed 41 sportspeople, the other a business version with 34 commerce leaders. He recalls the chapter with the tennis player, Pat Rafter: 'I remember him talking about when he was unsuccessful in the early stages of his grand-slam career and the pressure he was under and struggling with that pressure,' Eales says. 'His brother, who was his coach, said to him: 'Pat, what you have to understand is that no one performs well under pressure. It's the people who can remove the pressure from that environment that are actually able to perform well.' That to me was a great insight.' He then gives his own experience of the same issue: 'When I first started [place] kicking, I struggled. John Connolly [the Queensland coach] was the one who said: 'Mate, you're kicking.' I said: 'No I'm not.' I tried to get out of it but couldn't. Then I'd go to bed the night before the game thinking: I hope I don't get a kick to win or lose a game. That is a horrible thing and the wrong thing to be thinking.' Eales did two things to help himself: he ingrained a set-kicking routine and persuaded himself that if this process was right, then he could forgive himself whatever the result. 'When I spoke to Pat probably 15 years later, I looked back and saw that it's exactly what I did when I was in my early 20s to remove that pressure of the moment,' he says. 'There's no magic in that. But it's liberating.' Eales on the learning stages of a captain is brilliant. You start off, he says, 'being unconsciously incompetent, like you don't know what you're not good at. And then you're consciously incompetent: you know what you're not good at and you work at it. 'You've got to be consciously incompetent before you can actually be consciously competent, which is when you know what you're not good at — you still work at it but now you're actually competent at it. The last step is unconsciously competent, where you're just doing things naturally.' Where he was unconsciously incompetent, he says, was not realising he wasn't having 'the tough conversations' — 'You had to really work at them, and then you became more natural at them.' The coach, Rod Macqueen, was his problem. 'I don't think we started off on the right foot,' he says. 'Initially I didn't have the confidence to confront him directly.' This came to a head in 1997. 'He was challenging me saying, 'You're not supporting me enough in my decisions.' And I said: 'Well, actually, you're not including me enough in your decisions.' It was a longer and more colourful conversation than that.' Yet it was the turning point that forged one of the great coach-captain duos. Together they won the 1999 World Cup. Two years later, Eales captained the most recent Wallabies team to win a Lions series. By then, he had been captain for six years. It makes you wonder, then, where Saturday's two captains have got to in the learning process. Wilson has only led Australia since last autumn. The Lions' Maro Itoje started as England captain six months ago. Both are presumably still learning fast because, as we know, nobody is perfect.