Latest news with #ThePickUp
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Get help': Star's chilling warning amid drug spike
A popular Aussie radio star has revealed how she's been a victim of drink spiking three times — as police issue a warning about increased use of a drug used to facilitate the horror act. Former Bachelor contestant Brittany Hockley revealed on her KIIS radio show The Pick Up that she has been drugged against her will on three separate occasions. 'It is not just some stranger in the bar when you're out that you have to be aware of. It's not just making sure your hand is over your drink,' she said. 'It's being hyper aware of the increase that this is happening and also what to look out for.' Radio co-host Laura Byrne then revealed of the four women who work in the team, three of them have also been a victim of this crime. 'Three of us have experienced an incident where someone has used or tried to use one of these date rape drugs against us,' the mum-of-two said. Hockley then went on to explain what it feels like and 'what to watch out for', saying that in her experience, she felt 'drunk very quickly' but 'it's not a normal drunk'. 'For me, the first sign was when I would move my head to the side — just to look — everything was taking too long to catch up, and it started to get blurry,' she said. The 37-year-old said at this point there isn't a lot of time to realise other signs and symptoms as it happens so quickly. 'You just start to feel really, really unwell and really intoxicated. It happens so quickly, it is scary,' she said. 'It goes from zero to 100 in sometimes potentially minutes. You need to tell someone immediately what is happening to you or what you think is happening to you, and get help.' Many praised Hockley for being so candid about what had happened to her. 'Thank you so much for sharing this girls. It makes us feel less alone,' one said. Another added: 'I'm glad you are telling others what it feels like because many may think it's just drunk feeling, but it's way worse and it's hard to speak or stand etc.' Another advised: 'Please make a point of taking your friend straight to a hospital or call an ambulance. Don't assume they have used a date rate drug, fentanyl is coming into the country too. You also don't know how people will react to a drug. Hospital every time.' Someone else weighed in with their own terrifying experience, posting: 'Also – I lost the ability to form sentences after 20(ish) minutes. So YES to the advice of telling someone what you think is happening ASAP! Can't stress enough. 'I told a man at central station (Sydney) that I had fled my work party as I suspected a colleague had spiked me & this man took me all the way home (Cronulla) and got me to the safety my housemates. I wish I could thank him today.' Hockley's message to fans comes just days after the Australian Federal Police issued a warning about a spike in 'fantasy' or 'bute' hitting our shores, which is typically found in industrial strength cleaning products. However, its secondary use has caused concerns for police as, when ingested, it converts to Gamma-hydroxybutyrate — also known as GHB. The drug can create feelings of drowsiness, confusion, blackouts and memory loss, seizures, unconsciousness or even death. It's often used to facilitate sexual assault and rape. More than 3.8 tonnes of 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BD) has been seized in 2025 alone, and in the 12 months prior to March 1, 2025, it was confiscated more than any other drug. The majority of it was seized in New South Wales. Paula Hudson, the AFP's Acting Assistant Commissioner, said the impact of the drug was catastrophic. 'Although 1,4-Butanediol has a legitimate industrial use, factors such as the significant volumes and concealment methods used in its illegal importation suggest it is targeted for a more nefarious use,' she said. '1,4-BD is dangerous on many levels. Unlike other illicit drugs, it can be used as an instrument of crime, rather than being generally taken only for personal use. 'The significant amount of 1,4-BD being illegally imported into Australia has prompted the AFP and Australian Border Force (ABF) to reinforce a zero-tolerance rule towards criminal networks attempting to import this illicit substance into the country. 'It's a fight on multiple fronts for police, emergency and health services, all working together to combat the importation, distribution and consumption of this harmful illicit substance.' She stressed there was no safe use of the drug.
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Matty J reveals miscarriage fear after pregnancy announcement
A reality television star and father of two has opened up about the fear his wife's latest pregnancy announcement has brought up in him. Laura Byrne and Matty Johnson met on reality dating show The Bachelor, before tying the knot in 2022. The couple share two children — Marlie-Mae, nearly six, and Lola, four. Last week, the couple announced they were expecting yet another little girl after cutting a gender reveal cake during Laura's radio show The Pick Up, which she hosts with Brittany Hockley. But during Matty J's radio show Two Doting Dads, which he hosts alongside Ash Wicks, he spoke about his fears surrounding Laura's pregnancy. 'When I found out, we were at 11 weeks. We didn't even have the big tests, and so I was conscious that it was very early days, and I didn't want to celebrate that we were having a kid,' he said. 'With our cycle, when I say ours I mean Laura's. Our first child was a miscarriage, then Laura was pregnant with Marlie. After Marlie was born, she got pregnant again and we lost that child around 12 weeks. And then we had Lola.' He said he was looking at the 'road map' he and his wife had just come down, and worried they were 'kind of due for another miscarriage'. He added: 'There's no greater emotional whiplash than having a miscarriage.' At the time of the podcast recording, the couple were 15 weeks along. He said now all the tests have been done, and everything was 'tracking nicely'. The reality TV star, who recently appeared on I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Outta Here!, said he almost felt like he was 'waiting for the bad news' and he wouldn't feel OK until the baby was in his arms. Many listeners headed to the comment section to thank Matty J for his honesty. 'Pregnancy loss changes your brain chemistry so much. Lola & Marlie are both your rainbows. As somebody who's lost babies, thanks Matty J for sharing. The world needs more of this,' one said. Another added: 'So nice to hear a male talk about this!' 'Thanks Matty J for talking about this! Great to hear from a dad's perspective. I had two miscarriages and it's so hard to go through pregnant after loss. Very lucky to have two happy boys now,' one parent shared. Another added: 'Thank you for saying 'we'. So often it's put on the woman; 'She lost the baby'. But truthfully it's both and not at all the woman's fault.' Someone else agreed: 'It's so important to hear Dad's talking about this. Thank you both for everything you do.' 'Miscarriages and pregnancy loss should be spoken about, it's so common and it shouldn't be something that is taboo to speak about. So thank you for speaking about it,' another wrote. 'I have two children and on my eighth pregnancy, the worst part is the whole first trimester, denying and hating the sickness/nausea/sleepiness bc in the back of your mind is probably gonna lose it anyway,' one said. Another shared: 'The anxiety is so real, we had one healthy boy, followed by a miscarriage, followed by an ectopic with twins, followed by our rainbow baby boy, every pregnancy is stressful and an anxious journey after loss.' The 37-year-old revealed he and Laura were expecting the baby to arrive mid-October, saying they initially started trying to fall pregnant before he appeared on Ten's popular reality TV show.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Australian Radio Network announces round of sweeping redundancies with up to 100 jobs at risk
The Australian Radio Network (ARN) has begun another round of sweeping redundancies that will see some entire departments moved offshore. Staff at ARN have been told between 70 and 100 jobs are at risk on Wednesday. The slash-and-burn cuts will not impact the radio network's front of house employees, meaning regional producers, on-air presenters, and journalists are safe. Meanwhile, the finance, sales support, and technology services departments will be among those moved offshore and outsourced to balance the books. Staff were called into a meeting and told of the impending job cuts. ARN Chief Executive Ciaran Davis called the decision 'difficult' but 'necessary'. 'ARN's transformation program continues as we reshape our business to invest more deeply in the areas driving our future growth,' Mr Davis said in a statement. Those are 'content creation, cross-platform distribution, and advanced commercial solutions'. 'As part of this, we are changing the composition of our team to become leaner and more efficient, which will involve the relocation of some roles and unfortunately, a reduction in headcount,' he continued. 'This is a difficult decision and has not been taken lightly. We are deeply grateful for the contributions of those impacted and are committed to supporting them through this transition with care, respect, and practical assistance.' This latest wave of job cuts follows several months of downsizing at the largest metropolitan radio network in the country. Content Chief Duncan Campbell was shuffled into a consultancy role in 2024 and since then, Chief Commercial Officer Peter Whitehead and several staff across sales and marketing have also gone. Earlier this month, additional redundancies in ARN's sales division were announced. It comes after Mitch Churi broke down live on-air in November, when he confirmed to listeners he had been sacked from the network. The KIIS FM radio star, who co-hosted The Pick Up drive time show alongside Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley, became emotional as he revealed the heartbreaking news to his co-stars. 'Late last week, I was informed by the powers that they have identified my role here as one that won't be returning in 2025,' Mitch began. He then revealed he was blindsided by the decision, and he wished it had not come to this. 'I just want to say it wasn't my decision or my call. I really wanted to stay on the show with you two. I really wanted to stay with KIIS.' The rolling redundancies come at a time of rising financial pressures for the parent company of KIIS FM, Pure Gold, iHeart Radio, and The Edge, which reaches over 6million Australians weekly. ARN is grappling with a soft advertising market after a failed attempt to acquire rival Southern Cross Austereo (SCA).
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Bachelor star Laura Byrne reveals gender of her baby after announcing she is expecting her third child with husband Matty 'J' Johnson
Laura Byrne has revealed the gender of her third child with Matty 'J' Johnson. The former Bachelor star, 39, revealed the news by cutting into a gender reveal cake live on her KIIS FM The Pick Up radio show on Wednesday, just hours after announcing her pregnancy. 'It's a girl,' Laura squealed as she removed a slice of white sponge that contained layers of pink icing. 'Oh my god, you're having a third little baby girl,' said co-host Brittany Hockley shocked, before adding, 'Congratulations'. 'Am I capable of producing boys?' replied husband Matty, before adding, 'Let's go again. Let's go for a fourth.' 'We're so lucky to have three little girls - and three little sisters, it's going to be amazing,' added Laura, before Matty admitted he 'loves being a girl dad'. 'It's a girl,' Laura squealed as she removed a slice of white sponge that contained layers of pink icing 'Am I capable of producing boys?' replied husband Matty, before adding, 'Let's go again. Let's go for a fourth.' Laura announced her pregnancy news on her podcast, Life Uncut, which she co-hosts with fellow reality star Brittany Hockley. 'It turns out, we're having baby number three!' she declared. 'I'm pregnant guys!' Laura revealed she is currently 18 weeks pregnant, two weeks short of the half-way mark. 'It is a Christmas miracle. We had a really small window. I have known for a very long time. I found out very early on in this pregnancy, not because I had any symptoms but because my friend made a comment that made me do a pregnancy test,' she explained. Laura explained she took a pregnancy test while Matty was filming I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in South Africa but did not tell him the news until she was two and a half months pregnant. 'I wasn't able to tell Matt for ages. The whole time he was in the jungle, I wasn't able to tell him and then it was really tricky because I didn't want to tell him when it was the finale,' she explained. 'I didn't want to tell him as soon as the show, because I don't know if you guys remember, but the show wasn't filmed live this year, so we did the finale over there.' Matt also made an announcement on his Two Doting Dads podcast, telling listeners: '[It's] an October baby. We were trying before I went into the jungle. The plan was, we said this year 2025, if we were going to have a third, this will be the year that it happens. 'I'm conscious that Marlie and Lola are really close together, they're about 18 months [apart] and Lola just turned four, so I was like if it doesn't happen this year, it's a big gap… We want the third child to still be friends with Marlie and Lola.' Laura also posted a video to Instagram of her youngest daughter Lola, four, sharing the exciting news with fans. 'I've got a baby in my mum's tummy and I tried to get it out. I'm so so so so excited. I really want the baby to come out but it's not,' Lola says. 'We are SO SO SO EXCITED!!!! Johnson #3 under construction,' Laura captioned the video. Many followers flocked to the comments to congratulate the couple on their exciting news. 'This is how I want all good news delivered from now on,' one person wrote. 'What exciting news for you all! And a FABULOUS announcement,' a second person commented. Laura revealed she is currently 18 weeks pregnant and will be halfway through her pregnancy in the next two weeks time 'She's adorable and going to be the best big sister. ❤️❤️❤️ Congratulations!!!' a third commented. 'Omg this is wonderful news,' another added, while one said: 'Omggggg amazing!!! Congratulations!!!!!' The couple share daughters Marlie-Mae, who they welcomed in 2019, and Lola, who was born in 2021. Laura appeared on The Bachelor Australia in 2017 and met her now-husband, and father to her two children, Matty. In April 2019, they announced their engagement.
