Latest news with #DarlingPoint
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Scandal ROCKS Married At First Sight 2026: Groom pulled from the show amid investigation
Married At First Sight 2026 is in turmoil just weeks into filming, with one bride-and-groom pair yanked from production amid an internal investigation. Daily Mail can reveal that Micah Lomu, a Sydney-based finance broker, was removed from filming just days after he tied the knot with cricket presenter Ankita Karungalekar in a lavish multicultural wedding. The couple wed last week at Lindesay House in Darling Point, with Ankita stunning in an intricate sage green and gold lehenga, holding a bright bouquet of yellow and peach blooms. But despite the pair emerging early on as standout favourites among the cast and crew, their fairytale quickly crumbled. Micah has denied any wrongdoing. MAFS producers are said to be investigating the matter - but it remains unclear what formal steps, if any, have been taken. Insiders tell Daily Mail that the newlyweds were told they were 'no longer required on set' after returning from their honeymoon. Neither Micah nor Ankita attended the show's first dinner party, which was filmed on August 5. Ankita has remained tight-lipped since news of the scandal broke – but earlier this week, she posted a cryptic sunset image to her Instagram Story that read: 'Was SO close to having everything I wanted.' Ankita, a cricket presenter with a Master's in Communications from Monash University, told producers she was '100 percent safe, happy and comfortable' to continue the show with Micah – and is currently on 'standby' regarding her future on the show. Cast members have been told the couple are no longer part of the experiment, but insiders say the door hasn't been fully closed. Despite the backlash, production sources say the couple made a strong impression early on and that bosses are still hopeful they can be salvaged. 'The team really liked them – they had great chemistry and brought something different to the mix,' the insider said. 'This isn't a cut-and-dry situation and production are being very cautious about their next move.' The incident has reignited fierce debate over MAFS' casting and vetting process, which producers promised to overhaul after a string of past controversies. Micah – who goes by 'Meekz' online – is the co-founder of wellness brand Surpass Your Limitz, promoting personal growth through fitness and motivational workshops. Meanwhile, Ankita has worked for the Mumbai Indians and Cricket Australia, and was previously crowned runner-up in the Miss India Australia pageant. With the couple now in limbo and producers under pressure to act, it remains to be seen whether they'll return to the experiment – or be permanently cut from the show. Nine is determined to deliver explosive television, so they're taking no chances when it comes to who gets cast. 'Network execs have enforced tough new vetting rules. No criminal records. No previous court appearances. If there's even a whiff of controversy in someone's past, they're out.' But with casting being finalised on the fly, producers are said to be juggling creative demands with last-minute replacements – and it's already impacting the structure of the season. 'They're not playing it safe in terms of personalities – they still want big characters and explosive storylines,' the source added. 'But they can't afford another scandal like last time. So they're walking a tightrope.'
Daily Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
Darling Point 1960s ‘time capsule' that cost £10,950 lures expats
A Darling Point 1960s 'time capsule' long owned by a famous sailor and model is winning the hearts of Aussie expats returning from the US and UK. The five-bedroom landmark mansion at 14 New Beach Rd cost Bill Solomons — who sailed in Australia's first America's Cup on board the Packers' boat, Gretel, in 1962 — and his Vogue model wife, Faye, £10,950 in 1965, records show. It's now listed with Christies agents Darren Curtis and Martin Ross in an expressions of interest campaign with a $12.5m guide. MORE: Aussie celebs' bitter divorces exposed 'We're getting a high number of expats interested, partly because of the favourable Australian dollar and also because opportunities like this one so rarely come up,' Mr Ross said. 'It really is a time capsule, as the photos suggest, presenting in original condition, ready for the next generation to make their mark on a fabulous old home. 'We're also getting good local interest, with inquiries coming from people in Woollahra and Paddington wanting to be closer to the harbour.' Looking through the pictures, it's not hard to imagine Bill and Faye, who'd 'tied the knot' in New York in the days that followed the America's Cup adventure at Newport's Rhode Island way back in 1962, enjoying the charming residence they purchased just a few years later. Their sons, Dr Greg and Dr Andrew Solomons, both radiologists and founding partners at PRP Diagonostic Imaging, bought the home for $3.3m from their parents in 2003. Both sons learnt to sail across the road from their home in Rushcutters Bay. Bill passed away in 2016, but Faye continued to live at the home until moving to aged care recently. The two-level semi-detached home is on a 235sqm block, adjacent to Rushcutters Bay Park and Rushcutters Bay. 'There are options galore, which is why it's been so well received,' says Mr Ross. 'You could do a modest renovation within the current specs, or you could bring in Blainey North or Thomas Hamel to transform it for the next generation.'
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Darling Point 1960s ‘time capsule' that cost £10,950 lures expats
A Darling Point 1960s 'time capsule' long owned by a famous sailor and model is winning the hearts of Aussie expats returning from the US and UK. The five-bedroom landmark mansion at 14 New Beach Rd cost Bill Solomons — who sailed in Australia's first America's Cup on board the Packers' boat, Gretel, in 1962 — and his Vogue model wife, Faye, £10,950 in 1965, records show. It's now listed with Christies agents Darren Curtis and Martin Ross in an expressions of interest campaign with a $12.5m guide. 'We're getting a high number of expats interested, partly because of the favourable Australian dollar and also because opportunities like this one so rarely come up,' Mr Ross said. 'It really is a time capsule, as the photos suggest, presenting in original condition, ready for the next generation to make their mark on a fabulous old home. 'We're also getting good local interest, with inquiries coming from people in Woollahra and Paddington wanting to be closer to the harbour.' Looking through the pictures, it's not hard to imagine Bill and Faye, who'd 'tied the knot' in New York in the days that followed the America's Cup adventure at Newport's Rhode Island way back in 1962, enjoying the charming residence they purchased just a few years later. Their sons, Dr Greg and Dr Andrew Solomons, both radiologists and founding partners at PRP Diagonostic Imaging, bought the home for $3.3m from their parents in 2003. Both sons learnt to sail across the road from their home in Rushcutters Bay. Bill passed away in 2016, but Faye continued to live at the home until moving to aged care recently. The two-level semi-detached home is on a 235sqm block, adjacent to Rushcutters Bay Park and Rushcutters Bay. 'There are options galore, which is why it's been so well received,' says Mr Ross. 'You could do a modest renovation within the current specs, or you could bring in Blainey North or Thomas Hamel to transform it for the next generation.'
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
'Nude artist' Dina Broadhurst's money woes exposed after she sells her lavish apartment with ex Max Shepherd
She may appear to live a life of luxury with designer clothes, handbags, and expensive dinners out, but 'nude artist' Dina Broadhurst's money woes have been exposed after the sale of her stunning Darling Point apartment. Dina, 48, originally listed the property she shared with her ex Max Shepherd for $11.5million, but only sold it for $8million after slashing the price to $8.4 million. Now it's been revealed the pair took out two mortgages and a personal loan just to fund the renovation of the home. According to Dina and Max, 32, originally financed the renovation project with a standard NAB mortgage. Max also took out a $260,000 loan with veteran Sydney businessman Basil Sellers in 2022, with the amount owing at $358,000 just last month. 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 home, which sold last month during undisclosed pre-auction negotiations, then underwent a 'Cinderella transformation' by designer Josh Knight from Glebe. 'No expense was spared to deliver a home of high-end luxury showcasing bespoke design by Studiojos,' its marketing advised. Dina and Max then split in mid-2023 after more than four years together, with the duo securing a second mortgage on the house the following year. NSW Land Registry documents indicate they received second mortgage funding of $500,000 from Greg Reed's Benchmark Property Finance in April 2024. It was obtained at 24 per cent for nine months for a total of 70 per cent loan-to-value ratio (LVR) - the percentage of a property's value which is borrowed as a loan. The amount had skyrocketed to $1.16million by September, with the funding agreement stating the property had to be listed for sale within five months. In February, Dina and Max had the loan extended to August. When Daily Mail Australia reached out to Dina for comment on Wednesday, she said: 'Despite reducing the price to meet the market the property sold for more than the cost of acquiring it and renovating. Both Max and I were very happy with the result and we are both excited to move on to new ventures.' The Etham Ave garden apartment was originally meant to be sold at auction in December for double the $5.2million they first paid in 2022. The listing was soon pulled amid insider predictions the price tag would fall. Around the same time, the exes were seen reuniting to sunbathe at Kutti Beach, where Dina went topless, while working together to find a buyer for the property. Dina exclusively claimed to Daily Mail Australia in January she made the move to yank the listing because she was not sure she wanted to part with it. 'The property has been pulled for a few months as I am considering retaining the property for myself,' she said. 'I'm doing a trial living here over the summer until I work out if I will keep it or buy overseas next year instead. 'The property has had ample interest and a decision will be made shortly as to whether we proceed with the sale or not.' Dina pulled the newly renovated pad from the market just two months after it was listed, and one month before it was set to go to auction. However, the socialite made headlines when she dramatically slashed the listing price by $3.1million this year. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment was set to go to auction in June with a price guide of $8.4million. However, it reportedly sold for $8million in pre-auction negotiations just hours before it was set to go under the hammer.
Daily Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
Nude model's money woes exposed
Given the couple's propensity for their Instagrammable lives to be also regularly snapped by the paparazzi, the recent on-again/off-again listing of the Darling Point apartment co-owned by nude artist Dina Broadhurst and her ex-partner, builder Max Shepherd, kept gossip column readers riveted for months until its recent sale. The price guidance for the Etham Ave garden apartment sat at $11.5m for its abandoned December auction, and by the time of its rescheduled June auction, had dropped to $8.4m. It apparently fetched $8m in its undisclosed pre-auction negotiations this month. MORE: Aus pub's $500m collapse, staff owed $7m There has been a continuing backdrop of intricate financing of their renovation project after kicking off with a standard NAB mortgage. The duplex apartment, with 280sq m of indoor-outdoor living space, had cost $5.2m unrenovated in 2022, which was followed by a 'Cinderella transformation' by emerging interior designer, Josh Knight from Glebe. 'No expense was spared to deliver a home of high-end luxury showcasing bespoke design by Studiojos,' its marketing advised. Though the couple had split by mid-2023 after 4½ years together, NSW Land Registry documents indicate that about April 2024, the duo secured second mortgage funding from Greg Reed's Benchmark Property Finance. MORE: Huge promise Hemsworths made about Byron Bay The extra $500,000 finance was obtained at 24 per cent for nine months to a total 70 per cent loan to value ratio. By last September, it sat at $1.16m with the funding agreement specifying the apartment needed to be listed for sale within five months with a 'reputable agent'. By February this year, the loan expiry date had been extended to August. It has also emerged that veteran Sydney businessman Basil Sellers had separately lent Shepherd $260,000 in 2022, with the amount owing at $358,000 last month. Shepherd moved on and stepped out with his Vanderpump Rules star girlfriend Vail Bloom, while Broadhurst remains devoted to her 365,000-strong Instagram following and her risqué self-portraits. One of her artworks has just been installed in the conference room of Ray White Touma Taylor in Redfern. MORE: Wild reason Aussie has 300 homes
