Celebrity hair queen Mariah Rota engaged in Europe five years after marriage heartbreak
The in-demand stylist, whose COLE Hair salons are a go-to for Sydney's elite, is newly engaged to Aussie businessman Justin Broomhead after a romantic European proposal.
Rota, who was previously married to Tom Cole, split from her husband in 2020 after he was reportedly seen leaving a hotel with a well-known Sydney identity.
Now, the 37-year-old is said to be 'on cloud nine' after Broomhead popped the question during a holiday in Ravello, Italy.
'Coming home with a full heart and a fiancé,' she captioned a carousel of glowing social media photos.
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.
The precious pictures showed the pair toasting their engagement with sweeping views of the Amalfi Coast behind them.
She also showcased her stunning diamond engagement ring, which features a large oval-cut stone set on a delicate gold band - a timeless and elegant design that had fans swooning.
The post drew many congratulatory messages from her high-profile circle of friends and clients.
'Aweeee congratulations beautiful woman!!! So gorgeous yay!! Xxxxx,' gushed Home and Away star Jodi Gordon.
'So happy for you two beautiful people - the perfect combination,' another person added.
Rota is the founder and director of COLE Hair Studio, which operates in the exclusive Sydney suburbs of Double Bay and Mosman.
Among her A-list clients are 'nude artist' Dina Broadhurst and reality TV star Terry Biviano.
She also owns Hairtalk Hair Extensions across Australia and New Zealand - cementing her place as one of the most sought-after names in the industry.
It's been a whirlwind few years for the powerhouse businesswoman, who has bounced back from personal heartache and built a hair empire along the way.
The battle of Double Bay - the inner Sydney area known as Australia's ritziest suburb - pitted Mr Cole against rival businesses run by his former wife, Mariah Rota, and Joh Bailey, who once employed both of them.
The feud kicked off in March 2017 when Mr Bailey went to Ms Rota and Mr Cole's wedding in Bali, was reportedly kicked out for bad behaviour and then fired the happy couple.
Initially, Mr Cole and Ms Rota set up a rival salon, Cole Hair Studio, just metres away from Bailey's business.
But the marriage didn't last and Ms Rota got the salon in the divorce, while Mr Cole set up another nearby establishment, heating up the rivalry for well-heeled customers in the area.
'The last few years have been very rocky,' Mr Cole previously told The Wentworth Courier.
'I was quite ignorant for a period of my life, my late 20s. I hurt a lot of people, didn't realise what I was doing at the time.'
He explained that he decided to take a year off to 'focus on himself'.
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The news came via Hello! magazine, which published two photographs of the couple (in which Sperling showed off her diamond engagement ring, estimated by one expert to cost at least £10,000) shortly after Phillips and Sperling spoke to the King and Queen. The choice of magazine prompted reminders of Phillips's first wedding, in 2008, when he caused controversy by selling the exclusive photographic rights to Hello! for a reported £500,000, allegedly angering the late Queen, who was not consulted in advance. The pictures marking Phillips and Sperling's engagement, however, are said to have been taken privately and it is understood that no commercial arrangement was made with Hello! or any other publication. The couple have yet to announce a date for their wedding. However leading designers will surely be champing at the bit to dress Sperling. She has already won praise for the elegant way in which she mixes high-street brands such as Zara with royal-approved British designers. In her engagement photos, Sperling is wearing a white cheesecloth top and skirt set by Me+Em, a home-grown label favoured by the Princess of Wales. It's likely that the couple's new blended family will be highlighted in the ceremony, perhaps with their three daughters acting as bridesmaids. Savannah and Isla previously took that role at Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018. As both an elegant figure, coolly unfazed by public duties, and a hard-working NHS nurse and single mother, Sperling is the ideal fit for a gradually modernising institution. It appears she's not just a great match for Phillips: she could be the Royal family's shining new star.
