Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia’s most trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news.
Cashless Kashaya living large
Despite being declared bankrupt again in April, Double Bay’s most infamous grifter Kashaya Williams is still swanning around town – apparently, the financial crisis is someone else’s problem.
The mother-of-three – who the NSW Supreme Court previously found had used a forged letter to inherit her late grandfather’s home amid a bitter family feud – was spotted by yours truly on Saturday night, holding court at a VIP table in The Cross.
And before you ask – no, I wasn’t there to party with the fallen social set. I was following a 50th birthday bash nearby (Pelicano is not my usual haunt).
Still, Williams seemed very much in her element – laughing, flicking her hair, and acting like she hadn’t had been dragged through the courts for years.
Kashaya Williams holding court at Pelicano in Kings Cross on Saturday night
The 40-year-old mother of three pictured alongside her ex-husband Evan Williams
The Double Bay home Williams has recently been booted from
The moment she clocked me taking a discreet snap, she quickly turned away – I guess when you’ve forged wills and fooled relatives, you’re used to people taking photos of you.
It’s not the first time she’s been spotted out and about.
Back in May, I spied her at Bondi’s Royal Hotel (the ramshackle pub tacked onto Totti’s) wearing an ill-fitting lace mini dress and sipping rosé like she owned the joint.
Of course, that was just weeks before her latest bankruptcy and an appearance at Waverley Local Court, where she’s facing traffic charges for speeding and driving while suspended – charges she’s trying to have annulled.
The 40-year-old former florist has reportedly been booted from her latest digs in Double Bay. According to a well-placed source, the Eastern Suburbs grifter was shown the door earlier this year, with agents forced to change the locks after she allegedly stopped paying rent, or never did to begin with.
Somehow, she managed to get away clean – putting the lease in a relative’s name.
Her three sons are now said to be living with her mother, Nerez, on the Central Coast while she continues to haunt the eastern suburbs party circuit like nothing’s happened.
Still, credit where it’s due: it takes a certain kind of chutzpah to lose everything and still swan into a VIP booth like the bills don’t apply to you.
Litsa’s soft launch
Litsa Stavropoulos sitting on the lap of her buff new bloke
If you’re not across this Eastern Suburbs saga, then you’ve clearly been living under a rock.
Sydney social fixture Litsa Stavropoulos has quietly found love again – months after her ex-husband, Nicholas ‘Nic’ Stavropoulos, made headlines for his rape conviction in Greece and then shacked up with her best friend, Pembe Bekir.
The scandal blew up earlier this year when whispers emerged that Nic, 50, had grown close to Pembe not long after his marriage collapsed.
These two couples were inseparable for years, their lives entwined by virtue of their kids’ private school, shared holidays, and Point Piper dinner parties.
The twist? Nic and Pembe’s ex-husband, entrepreneur Deniz Bekir, had also been best mates ‘forever’. You really can’t make this stuff up – only in the Eastern Suburbs!
At the time, Litsa – famed for her polished looks and razor-sharp Instagram captions – seemed to hint at the betrayal with a string of cryptic posts, including: ‘When people show you who they are, believe them.’
But in true comeback style, she’s spun her heartbreak into a soft launch.
The glamorous mum-of-two is now posting snaps with her new, very buff beau, who friends say is the ‘complete opposite’ of her disgraced ex.
Litsa and Nicholas Stavropoulos (pictured on one of their European getaways) ended their marriage in February
Pembe alongside her ex-husband Deniz Bekir
When Nic Stavropoulos (pictured) landed in Sydney last week, he was seen lunging for a reporter’s phone
The pair are said to be living together in Greenacre, in Sydney’s west – a world away from the gossip-soaked east and her former life in well-heeled Vaucluse.
‘She’s happier and more grounded than she’s been in years,’ a source tells me.
‘She’s done with that world – the fake smiles, the backstabbing, the whispers. She’s moved on.’
Meanwhile, her ex and his new partner were spotted jetting back into Sydney from Paris last Friday, where they were confronted by a reporter at the airport just a day after a civil matter was relisted for March next year.
In dramatic footage, Nic – in a white tee, black pants, and Samba sneakers – can be seen lunging for the reporter’s phone, while Pembe, in a grey hoodie and tracksuit, looks on.
‘Nic, do you have anything to say about your rape charge in Greece that you’re appealing?’ the reporter asks.
‘I’m innocent and not under bail,’ he snaps, insisting: ‘There are no bail conditions set, only a full retrial to be scheduled.’
Nic, who pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to six years in jail by a Greek court in May after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Mykonos nightclub bathroom in 2016.
The attack took place during a lavish 40th birthday trip involving parents whose children all attend Sydney’s elite Kambala Girls’ School.
He’s appealed the conviction and continues to live freely in Point Piper, one of Australia’s most exclusive postcodes, while awaiting a retrial.
And Litsa? Friends say she’s finally putting the past behind her.
‘She’s got a new man, a new life, and zero time for Eastern Suburbs drama.’
Litsa and Nicholas Stavropoulos (pictured on one of their European getaways) ended their marriage in February
Pembe (right, with ex Deniz) found comfort post-split in the arms of Nicholas Stavropoulos, the ex-husband of her best friend Litsa Stavropoulos (together left). To add another layer of chaos, Nicholas had apparently been mates with Deniz for decades
Great White outrage
Westfield heiress Monica Saunders-Weinberg has come out swinging in defence of two Sydney-born café owners whose trendy California eatery is facing bizarre claims of racism.
The glamorous philanthropist let rip on Instagram after the Los Angeles Times published a damning exposé titled: ‘Inside the allegations of racial discrimination at L.A. restaurants Great White and Gran Blanco.’
‘This makes me crazy!’ Saunders-Weinberg began in her fiery post.
‘They are good Aussie blokes that have worked their arses off and the name is after great white sharks that we have in our country you dumb f***s!!!! Hard working good guys… this is such BULLS**T,’ she raged.
The men at the centre of the storm – Sam Trude and Sam Cooper – are Sydney private school alumni: Trude went to The King’s School in Parramatta, while Cooper is a former Cranbrook boy.
Great White went viral last week after a TikTok user accused the beachside café of racially profiling patrons – claiming Asian diners were being deliberately seated away from others.
Westfield heiress Monica Saunders-Weinberg has come out swinging in defence of two Sydney-born café owners. Co-owner Sam Trude (pictured right)
The Westfield heiress didn’t mince her words when lashing out at the Los Angeles Times article
In the clip, TikTok user Cassidy Cho filmed herself seated in one corner of the restaurant, saying: ‘I don’t know if it’s just me but they put all Asians in one corner.’
Cho later told NBC Los Angeles she was flooded with messages from diners who’d had similar experiences – with the outlet also pointing to Yelp reviews dating back years echoing the same complaints.
Great White’s co-founders previously owned another Venice Beach restaurant, Gran Blanco, where former employee told NBC she was once instructed to seat Asian guests outside.
Gran Blanco has been under new management since June 2025.
In a statement, the pair slammed the claims as ‘completely false,’ insisting the restaurant’s name refers to the shark, not anything racial.
‘Any notion that we have mistreated customers or employees or seated people based on their ethnicity is absolutely outrageous and completely false. Everyone is welcome here,’ the statement read.
While the café has become the target of widespread online outrage – particularly among Asian-American diners – the backlash has also prompted an unlikely wave of support from conservative corners of social media…
Clara gets her Grove back
Perth socialite Clara Hurst is still flaunting her enviable lifestyle – even as trouble continues to swirl around her late husband’s financial scandal.
Former friends in the west tell me the glamorous mother-of-two has quietly checked into The Grove, an ultra-luxury apartment complex in Peppermint Grove, citing ‘security concerns’.
‘She’s living in a hotel-style set-up at The Grove, close to her daughters’ school,’ a source reveals.
‘She’s worried about retribution from victims and doesn’t feel safe in her own home.’
The insider didn’t hold back on what would truly resolve the situation:
‘She could fix all this overnight by selling her house and doing the right thing – pay the victims back!’
Clara’s sprawling Claremont estate has been buzzing with tradesmen lately, and neighbours have noticed a new sign out front warning of ’24-hour security’ – clear proof the embattled socialite isn’t taking any chances.
For those not across the saga, Clara’s British-born husband, Dr David Hurst, died suddenly last December at Crown Perth casino, while Clara and the children were holidaying in Bali.
A week later, the family fled to Switzerland.
Perth socialite Clara Hurst (pictured) has quietly checked into The Grove, an ultra-luxury apartment complex in Peppermint Grove, citing ‘security concerns’
Perth’s most elusive widow Clara Hurst is living at The Grove (pictured) as friends say she fears retribution from her husband’s victims
Then came the bombshells: Dr Hurst allegedly siphoned more than $7 million from his dental practice and swindled 130 patients out of $2.3 million in prepayments – some pulled directly from their super – for treatments that were never completed.
While the victims scramble to recover their losses, Clara has carried on as if untouched by scandal or financial strain.
Just last week, I revealed she’d jetted off for a girls’ getaway to the exclusive Qualia resort on Hamilton Island, joined by fellow Scotch College mums Kate Robinson, Jade Rubino, and Kristina Young.
But insiders claim the escape has only heightened her paranoia.
‘Clara’s terrified that photos will leak to the press, showing her living the high life,’ one WA spy says.
‘She knows people are watching her every move – and some are more than happy to send the evidence your way.’
For now, Clara is keeping up appearances – luxury handbags, five-star stays and all -but behind Peppermint Grove’s closed doors, whispers suggest the walls may be closing in.
Clara’s British-born husband, Dr David Hurst (pictured left) died suddenly last December at Crown Perth casino
Clara’s palatial home in Claremont has been under renovation for months
Deal or No Wheels
Once one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television, disgraced game show host Andrew O’Keefe is quietly rebuilding his life in one of Sydney’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.
The fallen ‘Deal or No Deal’ star, 53, is understood to be out of rehab and living just a stone’s throw from picturesque Christensen Park in upmarket Vaucluse.
Locals tell me O’Keefe has kept a low profile in recent months. One neighbour noted that his 2015 Mercedes-Benz sedan seems to have sat idle for some time.
‘It hasn’t moved in months,’ the local said. ‘It’s no longer sporting a number plate and the tyres are covered in spider webs – he seems to walk everywhere. Good for him.’
The reason behind the apparent car issue remains unclear – perhaps unpaid fines, or possibly the troubled star isn’t allowed to drive.
I recently spotted the charismatic former TV regular in a funky outfit wandering through Bondi, and again in a dimly lit massage parlour next to my local Japanese restaurant in North Bondi.
I spotted Andrew O’Keefe (pictured) at a dimly-lit massage parlour next door to my local Japanese restaurant
The fallen game show host is often seen in my neighbourhood
Elisha Dalah (pictured left) performed CPR and administered Narcan after Andrew O’Keefe overdosed on heroin
The reason behind the apparent car park fixture remains unclear – perhaps unpaid fines, or possibly the troubled star isn’t allowed to drive.
O’Keefe has endured public battles with drug addiction for years, spending time in and out of rehab centres.
In February, he faced Waverley Local Court, where he pleaded guilty to driving with methamphetamine in his system.
He escaped with a $440 fine and a six-month driving ban.
The court heard he tested positive to the drug while behind the wheel of his Mercedes C200 in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in July 2023.
When he appeared in court, O’Keefe looked noticeably healthier after a three-month stint in rehab.
But the former TV golden boy’s road to recovery has been anything but smooth.
Just a year earlier, the father-of-three had to be revived by paramedics after overdosing on heroin at a party in Sydney’s east.
The shocking incident made headlines when it emerged hospitality figure Elisha Dalah, 38, performed CPR and administered Narcan – the heroin antidote – to save O’Keefe’s life.
Dalah, who was later fined $1,500 and handed a 30-month community corrections order requiring him to attend rehab, reportedly cleaned vomit from O’Keefe’s nose and mouth before paramedics arrived.
