As Nadia Bartel deals with the fallout from her acrimonious breakup with Jimmy Bartel, the retired AFL player’s rumoured girlfriend Lauren Mand is said to be enjoying her 15 minutes of fame.
According to the Herald Sun, the British-based Australian socialite has “long been referring to Jimmy as her boyfriend” and is allegedly happy news of their unexpected relationship made headlines last week. Some have even claimed the aspiring WAG has been trying to break into their social circles for years in the hope of elevating her status.
EXCLUSIVE: Jimmy Bartel seen publicly for first time after marriage breakup
Well aware that more information about Jimmy’s new partner will come to light, the fashion influencer— who shares sons Aston, 3, and Henley, nine months with Jimmy— is said to be “bracing herself”.
Nadia, 33, publicly acknowledged his new relationship last week, admitting she’s having a “difficult” time coming to terms with their separation, all the while grappling with the fact her husband of five years has already moved on.
Despite steering the conversation away from discussing his new relationship, a friend told The New Daily that she discovered Jimmy’s new romance with Lauren through text message.
“Although I’m heartbroken, I don’t want to comment specifically on what’s been reported about Jim’s trip to the UK as I don’t think that is in anyone’s interests,” she told the outlet. “My single focus now is to continue to protect, care and provide for my two beautiful boys as this is a personal matter.”
Earlier this month, Jimmy opened up about the breakdown of their marriage on 3AW’s pre-match coverage, admitting that the situation is “not great”.
“I am probably not going to provide any commentary on it,” the retired footy player said. “I know I am in the public eye and people are interested, but it is a private matter and I ask for a bit of respect because obviously Nadia and the boys [are] involved. I know I am in the public eye and people are interested, but it is a private matter and I ask for a bit of respect because obviously Nadia and the boys [are] involved.”
Their comments come days after the socialite— who no longer follows her estranged husband on social media— was bashed on Instagram, with one nasty user suggesting she might want to avoid flying with budget airline Jetstar in case she bumps into her ex-husband’s rumoured new girlfriend. The troll also said the retired AFL star had “upgraded” to somebody that has “a real job and an actual personality”.
As Nadia faced an onslaught of online abuse, one eagle-eyed follower noticed that reality TV star Alex Nation was following the troll and subsequently called her out on it.
“Given that you follow this troll and you have a very strong stance against online bullying, I would be interested in your thoughts…” the user wrote, tagging the Bachelor In Paradise star.
Later clarifying she knew nothing of the troll’s activity, the mum-of-one replied: “I think this [the trolling] is absolutely disgusting and appalling and I will be unfollowing this person,” Alex began. “I’m not sure how I came to be following them. Thank you for making me aware of this.”
Last month, fans of the power couple noticed Nadia hadn’t been wearing her wedding ring in her social media posts, with many speculating they’d privately called it quits. Although Nadia hadn’t addressed their separation at that point, a cryptic story uploaded to Nadia’s Instagram appeared to suggest as much, hinting that she’s being comforted by the support of close friends at this time.
“People who resonate with your energy will always be there,” read the aspirational post she shared. “It’s soul family. Know your members.”
Nadia’s addition to the post was a kiss emoji with the words: “You all know who you are.
The couple first got together in 2008 at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix, and had been inseparable until recent times. They married at the Bellarine Peninsula in February 2014, and share two beautiful boys.
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