A cloud hangs over the society wedding of 2025, the ‘bargain bin’ surgery trend no one wants to admit to… and which radio star lost her licence? THE GROUP CHAT WITH LUCY MANLY

Welcome to the group chat with Lucy Manly, where Australian society’s most trusted insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news

The billion dollar question

Will they or won’t they?

It’s the question on the lips of Sydney society regarding the wedding of our favorite May-December lovebirds, 81-year-old billionaire Robert Whyte and his 38-year-old fashion marketer fiancee Alessandra Eddy.

According to several sources, their plans to walk down the aisle have not made any progress since news of their surprise engagement broke earlier this year.

“It is now a matter of whether they will actually get married, not when,” says an acquaintance of the couple with an age difference.

Whyte proposed to Eddy, who is 43 years his junior, in May – just days before one of the most thrilling days on the association’s calendar, the Gold Dinner fundraiser

“All bets are off, if you ask me.”

Whyte, a Rich Lister and former confidant of Kerry Packer, proposed to Eddy, who is 43 years his junior, in May – just days before one of the most thrilling days in the association’s calendar, the Gold Dinner, a fundraiser for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.

Mr Whyte’s estimated fortune of $898 million earned him a decent spot in the Australian Financial Review’s 2024 Rich List of the richest 200 people..

He has amassed extensive assets including local and international equities, real estate and outdoor advertising.

A mother and prominent figure in Sydney’s social scene, Ms Eddy founded the fashion brand Luna Atelier and is known for her role on the Gold Dinner committee.

It is no secret that Mrs Eddy’s father Nicholas Eddy, a well-known Paddington lawyer, He is said to be less than happy with the relationship, especially after his daughter moved into Whyte’s $30 million mansion.

You are never too young for a (half) facelift

After last week’s blind feature about a fashion designer getting a ‘partial facelift’, my phone has been ringing red with calls and texts about all the celebrities who have secretly gone under the knife for the surgery the day.

For the uninitiated, a partial facelift (also called a half or mini facelift) is a trendy cosmetic procedure that focuses on the lower third of the face, elegantly tightening and tightening the skin around the jowls, neck and jawline. becomes smoother.

It is a less invasive and more subtle alternative to a traditional facelift, which is why younger women prefer it.

It’s also more budget-friendly, with a mini facelift costing just $20,000, while an extensive full face and neck lift can cost you up to $70,000.

While it may be a more delicate approach, it’s still a facelift. That’s a pretty extreme operation for anyone – especially the young influencers and socialites who I reliably know book them at Christmas.

Surgery enthusiast Skye Wheatley (pictured here after fox eyelift surgery in Turkey) is one of the few Australian socialites who will admit they’ve had a mini facelift – the surgery du jour

This week I was a guest at an influencer summit in Bali, organized by Balearic Beauty International. Everywhere I looked I saw faces full of fillers, porcelain teeth, bulging buttocks and breasts full of saline – and a few telltale signs of the half facelift.

Guests included former reality stars Skye Wheatley and Kiki Morris, as well as a slew of influencers who were excited about the chance to film content at the luxury private villa in Uluwatu.

Living in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, I’m no stranger to the ever-changing faces of the glamorous elite. But some of the work these women showed was extreme!

Skye, 30, who was only recently forced to deny she was ‘addicted’ to going under the knife, told me she was trying to scale back her operations by 2025.

In September she underwent a ‘fox eye lift’ in Turkey. The minimally invasive procedure uses dissolvable threads to lift and lengthen the eye to create a more almond shape and inverted look, and typically lasts six to 12 months.

She also had a half facelift – making her one of the few celebrities among those I know who have had it done to actually admit it.

Skye (pictured at Balearic Beauty International’s rebranding event in Bali this week) has had a mini facelift, a less invasive, more subtle and usually cheaper alternative to a traditional facelift

And finally… guess who, don’t sue

A popular TV personality who enjoys a drink appears to have lost her driver’s license.

The radio star and her daughter have been transported around Sydney in her SUV for weeks by an older gentleman who is neither her boyfriend nor a relative.

“He looks like a driver,” an observant paparazzi tells me.

She is taken to work, home and to massage appointments. Her usually responsive management did not respond when contacted for comment.