Since moving to Melbourne, I have a new addiction. And no, it’s not just the wildly superior coffee.
Instead, it’s a certain socialite-slash-property developer who seems to be a magnet for whispers since her very hush-hush marriage split.
Allow me to introduce you to Zana Pali, the Albanian-Australian golden-skinned Queen of Brighton’s ‘Golden Mile’ – a mother of two, lawyer, mansion flipper, beauty pageant queen and proud winner of Post-Separation Glow-Up of the Year.
For those who live outside the Brighton bubble – spend five minutes on Church Street and you’ll hear her name – you’ll probably remember Zana from My Kitchen Rules in 2016 – the last season most of us watched before the ratings fell off a cliff and Pete Evans (remember him?) started activating his almonds.
She and her then-husband Gianni Romano were the cocky villains that viewers loved to hate, but they eventually had something of a redemption arc.
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.
Since moving to Melbourne, I have a new addiction: it’s socialite-slash-property developer Zana Pali who seems to be a magnet for whispers since her very hush-hush marriage split
Gone is the polished wifey look from years gone by. Now, Zana – who spent weeks partying across Europe – looks like a woman who’s been dipped in liquid sunshine tanning drops
The 34-year-old (pictured with ex-husband Gianni at a musical premiere in 2019) was always gorgeous, but now her shine is so bright I need my sunglasses. The contrast is striking
Zana – then in her twenties, now 34 – was always gorgeous, but fast forward to today – just months after her mysterious split from fellow lawyer Gianni – and well, well, well, her shine is so bright I need my sunglasses.
The contrast is striking.
Gone is the polished wifey look from her days as Mrs Romano. Now, Zana looks like a woman who’s been dipped in liquid sunshine tanning drops.
After calling time on her marriage – and selling the marital home with a five-car garage and indoor nightclub for $10million – Zana has emerged like a Victoria Secret Angel, reborn on a yacht in Europe, ready for her close-up in a Vogue fashion spread.
It’s enough to make any single woman jealous – though part of me is cheering her on.
This isn’t just a spray-tan-and-lash-extension kind of glow-up here, dear readers.
Instead, we are talking about a total head-to-toe reinvention that makes Kris Jenner’s new face look like a lunch-break tweakment.
From the tumbling sun-kissed locks, to her tiny, toned body in skintight designer dresses, this is the sort of transformation that needs to be studied.
Zana (pictured) has had a glow up for the ages, after splitting with husband of 11 years, Gianni
After calling time on her Melbourne marriage, Zana has emerged like a Victoria Secret angel
From the tumbling sun-kissed locks, to her tiny, toned body in skintight designer dresses, this is the sort of transformation that needs to be studied
Add to that her cryptic captions that hint at new beginnings after heartbreak (‘trust the timing of your life’), it’s clear a self-promoter like Zana knows exactly how to get the Brighton gossips leaning in.
And leaning in they are. The buzzy rumour I keep hearing is that Zana may already have a new man on the scene after splitting from Gianni…
But before we go down the rabbit hole of group chat rumours encircling Zana, let’s state the screamingly obvious: she’s looking beyond hot.
Even this notoriously hard-to-impress columnist is giving her reluctant nod.
Dancing on tables in Mykonos. Bodrum beach clubs. Taking in the Turkish Riviera on what looks to be a super yacht (who’s taking the photos, Zana?) This is more than just a socialite bragging about her hot girl summer in Europe – it’s a signal that she’s in her new era.
This isn’t just a spray-tan-and-lash-extension kind of glow-up here. We are talking about a head-to-toe reinvention that makes Kris Jenner’s new face look like a lunch-break tweakment
In a far cry from her more conservative dress sense during her marriage, Zana appeared to go underwear-free in this revealing yellow number during her European getaway
Zana’s European yacht (and bikini) photos are the talk of Melbourne
I’m reliably informed Zana’s yacht photos are being scrutinised with the sort of FBI precision only Bayside’s millionaire housewives can afford the time for
And every woman who’s been through a divorce in her 30s or 40s will understand exactly the message she is trying to send – to her ex and to the world.
But beyond that, I’m reliably informed these photos are being scrutinised with the sort of FBI precision only Bayside’s millionaire housewives can afford the time for.
‘Is that a man’s hand at the dinner table?’ ‘Whose shadow is that?’ ‘Who owns the yacht? I know she’s rich – but surely not that rich!’
Trust me, the rumours are getting louder than the wind off Port Phillip Bay – and it can get pretty windy here in the ‘education state’.
Regardless of what the chattering types are saying, we can all agree there’s something truly satisfying about seeing a woman emerge from a separation like she’s strutting onto a fashion week catwalk.
While the reason for the couple’s split is not yet public knowledge – and I know enough lawyers not to risk speculating here – Zana is nonetheless giving a masterclass in how to thrive while going through a divorce.
The reason for the couple’s split is not yet public knowledge. (Gianni and Zana are pictured at the races in January 2017)
Where was she when I was nursing a broken heart? During those dark days, it was less European holidays and superyachts and more Bondi Beach sunburn, a new wardrobe from Zara, and an attempt at using dating apps that was so successful I was banned from Tinder (that’s a story for another day).
While Zana – with her life of wealth and privilege – is hardly an everywoman, I feel that there’s something about her life post-separation that we can all learn from, or at least be inspired by in some small way.
Ladies, we all know that feeling of wanting to prove to yourself – and your friends, and maybe your Instagram followers, too – that you can emerge from heartbreak stronger, happier and hotter than you were before.
Zana may be cashed-up and living spitting distance from Bec Judd, but she’s still a young mum who recently split from the man she had once hoped to spend the rest of her life with.
You can have all the money in the world and that’s still got to sting.
Daily Mail caught up with Gianni – a partner at the law firm Best Hooper – during his lunch break in July and noticed the father-of-two wasn’t wearing his wedding ring. When we asked about the split, he simply said: ‘I don’t want to talk about it’
This perhaps explains why – as a woman who has walked away from love and had to find my shine again – I drew more than a little inspiration from Zana’s sizzling highlight reel from Europe.
No, I didn’t have a superyacht to soothe my soul, but I do understand what it feels like to rediscover your power, sexiness, hope and resilience after going through one of the most crushing events life can throw at us: divorce.
And here we find the truth of the matter: woman, single and married, are obsessed with women like Zana because they show us that endings are really just beginnings.
That and we all look better with a tan, some expensive cosmetic injectables, and a one-way ticket to Europe.
