When two of Australia’s best-known Tik Tok stars decided to move to London together, they had plans to take over the world.
Already known as ‘Brisfluencers’ – influencers from Brisbane – Cartia Mallan and Ashton Wood had a million social media followers combined, having built a lucrative empire by sharing everything from favourite sex positions to their relationship statuses on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and, most importantly, their podcast Common Chaos.
‘Life is full of chaos, and longtime BFFs Cartia and Ashton certainly have that in common,’ runs the podcast blurb. Indeed, their friendship was at the very heart of their business plan, with the time they spent together mined for ‘insights and stories’ into their ‘chaotic’ lives.
In June last year, they posted a video heading out to dinner, both in white dresses, to celebrate 10 years of being besties. The fact that they looked more like twins than friends, with their plump red lips and long dark locks, surely added to the appeal.
That video now looks rather poignant. Last October, amid frantic questions from fans, Cartia and Ashton mysteriously cancelled a real-life business venture they’d been working on together.
Just three months after its launch, with zero explanation, the TikTok stars’ brand Highline – which sold matcha, a trendy green tea – was no more. What on earth had happened between the two young women?
Known as ‘Brisfluencers’ – influencers from Brisbane – Cartia Mallan, 26, and Ashton Wood, 31, had a million social media followers combined
Cartia, who hails from Brisbane, has nearly 500,000 followers online and is considered Australia’s ‘It’ girl
The Mail revealed last week that Cartia’s and Ashton’s falling out was caused by an alleged dispute over a boyfriend
It was as if history was repeating itself after the break-up in 2021 of best friends Flossie Clegg and Olivia Neill, fellow London-based influencers who also worked as a duo. As which the Mail revealed last week, their falling out was caused by an alleged dispute over a boyfriend.
‘What has happened between Cartia and Ashton?’ and ‘Cartia and Ashton feud’ have become some of the most asked questions in the TikTok search bar, which operates similarly to Google.
For months, Cartia, 26, and Ashton, 31, who both still live in London, chose to remain silent on the matter.
Cartia, who hails from Brisbane, has nearly 500,000 followers online and is considered Australia’s ‘It’ girl. Slightly more popular than Ashton, she became famous after posting a Kylie Jenner-inspired makeup tutorial on YouTube at the age of 15.
On Monday, however, Cartia at last spoke out – albeit rather cryptically. Sending TikTok into meltdown, she appeared on a popular Gen Z podcast, Luxegen, and said: ‘One thing I’ve learned is just how to spot a crap friend.
‘I have had my friendship things in the past, I have had conversations where I’ve said exactly what I need and what they need. But if you have to have that conversation over and over again and they don’t meet you there or they have excuses, that’s not really someone you need in your life.’
Of course, you might say that a relationship crisis between two young women is hardly the stuff of headlines, nor that it’s any of our business in the first place. Yet many Gen Z TikTokers regard these influencers not as talking heads on a screen, but as their own good friends, so well do they know the ins and outs of their lives. For them, and by extension the brands who rely on their endorsement, the dynamics are matters of huge interest.
In February 2020, Cartia announced that she and the Australian model-turned-Netflix star Josh Heuston, 28, were going their separate ways after two years together
Cartia also briefly became a Wag by dating the Chelsea football star, Ben Chilwell, 28
And after months of speculation, a well-placed source has now told the Mail that Cartia and Ashton, who once described each other as family and for a decade vowed nothing could break their bond, have also fallen out over a man.
A source close to the pair said: ‘Ashton rekindled a friendship with Cartia’s ex-boyfriend from back home in Australia, Josh Heuston – and it was the ultimate betrayal for Cartia.
‘When it all ended with Josh, Cartia was heartbroken, and Ashton was seriously there for her. She became Cartia’s lifeline and it really brought them closer. They had this crazy single-girl summer and really bonded.
‘So now for Ashton to be friends with him, Cartia just can’t get her head around it and couldn’t face continuing the matcha company with her. There were some other factors – but that was one of them.’
For those unfamiliar with the romance, in February 2020, Cartia announced that she and the Australian model-turned-Netflix star Josh, 28, were going their separate ways after two years together.
The influencer said she’d had enough of their fighting and was mentally exhausted by the relationship’s troubles. They both felt splitting up was the best thing to do.
Ashton also broke up with a boyfriend, and in 2022 she and Cartia moved to London, where they lived together for eight months.
While Ashton ‘cried almost every day for the first three months’ of life in the UK, Cartia thrived and was linked to the likes of Raff Law, son of Jude Law and Sadie Frost.
She also briefly became a Wag by dating the Chelsea football star, Ben Chilwell, 28.
Confirming the relationship on Valentine’s Day 2023, Cartia posted a picture of the pair snuggled by a cosy log fire, only to announce their break-up three months later.
When Chilwell then brutally deleted every trace of Cartia from his Instagram, Ashton, again, was by her best friend’s side.
For Gen Z, social media is both a shop window and a means of sending messages both subtle and harsh.
In October, a bombshell picture appeared on Josh Heuston’s feed showing Ashton holding a box of takeaway food.
There were reports she had meanwhile unfollowed Cartia on Instagram.
In November, after Josh’s post, all of Highline’s Instagram pictures were removed – and the brand’s closure was announced.
Many believe Ashton was blindsided by this shut-down – of her own business, no less – since she still had a link on her Instagram to the now defunct site, while Cartia did not.
Ashton and Cartia were contacted by the Mail and did not respond for comment.
Whatever the full truth of the matter – and only the girls will know – it is yet another example of a high-profile influencer friendship hitting the rocks in very public fashion. Chaotic indeed.
