EXCLUSIVE: Tragedy as Bachelorette star, 36, dies as his car plunges off a cliff in Sydney’s eastern suburbs: Reality TV show contestant welcomed newborn eight weeks ago

A troubled reality star has tragically died just two months after giving birth to his second child.

Charlie Newling, 36, who appeared on Ali Oetjen’s season of The Bachelorette in 2018, died after his car plunged off a cliff in Dover Heights, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, at 11pm on Saturday night.

Police and ambulance who arrived at Raleigh Reserve after being contacted by local residents found his car on fire at the bottom of the 70-metre cliff.

Newling is said to have welcomed his second child, a daughter with partner Kristal Taylor, just eight weeks ago.

He also has a 13-year-old son from a previous relationship.

Police and ambulance who arrived at Raleigh Reserve after being contacted by local residents found his car on fire at the bottom of the 70-metre cliff

Newling was initially a front-runner to win Oetjen’s heart on the Channel 10 dating show and was nicknamed ‘Mr Perfect’ by viewers after boasting about his strong ‘family values’.

However, viewers turned on him due to his controlled behavior towards Oetjen, including refusing to introduce her to his family until they were ‘exclusive’.

Then, just two days after he was kicked off The Bachelorette, footage emerged of him being wrestled to the ground outside The Golden Sheaf in Double Bay.

Newling, who had appeared on The Project earlier that evening, said he had been drinking and celebrating his time on the show with friends when a scuffle broke out with bouncers at around 10.50pm.

After the scuffle, it emerged that he had an eight-year-old son from a previous relationship which he also failed to reveal on the show.

Charlie previously had a relationship with glamor model Esme Dewitt (photo) in 2020.

A police spokesperson confirmed that Saturday evening’s crash was not being treated as suspicious

Although he briefly dated former Bachelor star Dasha Gaivoronski after leaving the show, he kept a low profile until September 2022, when he was sentenced to 13 months in prison for he threatened to torture and kill his stepfather in a series of 37 vicious text messages over a three-hour period.

“You are still controlled by that flogging of a husband,” read one message to his mother.

“I’m going to kill him in front of you one day before I go.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of, but you just know it won’t be pretty.”

Magistrate Ross Hudson heard Newling had suffered significant childhood trauma, including caring for his biological father when he was a teenager after he had an accident and became paralysed.

His father died of a pain medication overdose in 2018.

The court also heard that Newling, who worked as a builder after finding fame on The Bachelorette, had struggled with alcohol abuse.

He was convicted in 2021 of a drink-driving offense.

However, Magistrate Hudson said he had to take into account the “fear, anguish and horror” caused by Newling’s messages.

He was sentenced to a 13-month prison sentence to be served in the community.

A police spokesperson confirmed that Saturday evening’s crash was not being treated as suspicious.

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