The other Nassif returns from exile: Nissy prepares for star turn

Seymour’s story raised questions about the legitimacy of her Wiping Tears charity. She lists herself as the charity’s CEO, along with her other gig as “event director” at Toplace Constructions.

Nassif’s lawyers alleged the report defamed her by suggesting she runs a charity that falsely claimed to help disadvantaged people. She gave evidence that she started the charity in 2016 and would meet families who requested assistance before preparing a proposal to be considered by a committee.

Following the Seven story, Nassif said she was uninvited from events, lost sponsors and was made to look like “a dodgy Lebanese woman … who is [like] dumb”.

Nassif last featured in these pages when PS revealed she was at the centre of a “frocks for favours” scandal that rocked The Daily Telegraph after she gave former red carpet reporter Mibenge Nsenduluka an expensive gown from the French fashion house Balmain.

Nassif said the $3000 dress was a “thank you” gift after Nsenduluka wrote a glowing piece about her, telling PS she had been the victim of a media hate campaign: “I don’t know why, is it because of my accent or people are jealous of my life?”

After being alerted by PS about the dress, Daily Telegraph editor Ben English said his journalists had “strict guidelines on the acceptance of gifts. This line was clearly crossed, and we’ve reinforced to the reporter how important it is to observe these guidelines.”

The dress was hastily returned.

Meanwhile, Jean Nassif, 55, has been overseas since before NSW Police issued a warrant for his arrest in June over an alleged large-scale fraud in which his daughter from a previous relationship, Ashlyn, has been charged.

His current whereabouts are unknown, though he told the Herald on Thursday he was in rehab.

Logies lament

Noses are out of joint across the television industry as a dwindling number of seats inside this year’s Logies means some of the event’s once-regular faces will be left out in the cold.

A smaller venue at Sydney’s The Star, tighter budgets and a new broadcaster in the Seven Network have set the scene for a multitude of awkward conversations inside Australia’s television networks as jostling for invites has reached fever pitch.

Sadly reporters, especially pesky gossip columnists, are no longer welcome inside the actual awards presentation, which is often where the best stories are to be found, from unseemly table banter to awkward seating arrangements. Nor is there any big international guest coming for the awards, which over the years has drawn everyone from a feisty Muhammad Ali, Henry Winkler and John Wayne to Kelly Rowland, Priscilla Presley and a potty-mouthed Joan Rivers.

However, PS hears of at least one face who will be making a welcome return to the event: style doyenne Maggie Tabberer, winner of two consecutive Gold Logies for the most popular television personality in 1970 and 1971. Now 86, she became the first woman to win the award back to back for her daily talk show, Maggie, one of Australian television’s biggest programs half a century ago.

Chaos and MIA housewives

Rented mansions, missing housewives, behind-the-scenes chaos ... filming of the new season of the Real Housewives of Sydney sounds more entertaining than anything that will ever make it onto the small screen.

The second series of the subversively appealing reality train wreck set in Sydney is midway through filming. The local show is part of a global TV franchise that specialises in showcasing the privileged behaving appallingly for the armchair amusement of the masses.

However, PS hears producers have had to rent houses to shoot scenes for two of the new participants – shoe designer and veteran red carpet fixture Terry “The Biv” Biviano and former television host turned wellness entrepreneur Sally Obermeder.

“The Biv’s” new Vaucluse house she is building with former footballer husband Anthony “Mini” Minichiello is still under construction (and after a staggering six years, it still looks a long way off completion), while Obermeder’s home was deemed unsuitable for the show’s requirements, with the housewives usually throwing some kind of drinks party/witch burning in their respective mansions for the cameras.

Meanwhile, American producer Amy Kohn, who had formerly worked on US iterations of the franchise, has suddenly exited the series, which insiders say should have been produced on the Gold Coast because the “talent” pool was far greater. Cody Simpson’s mother Angie was said to be a frontrunner for a prospective Goldie show.

And there’s been plenty of frustration among the housewives as to why another new recruit, Victoria Montano, is missing in action, and why she was “allowed” to head to Europe with her family for the “season”. Interestingly, Montano, who is married to financier Tim Odillo Maher, lists “mini skirt expert” among her credentials.

Return housewives Krissy Marsh and Nicole Gazal O’Neil know the drill well. They will be joined by Bondi vet Kate Adams and fledgling socialite Caroline Gaultier Evans to round out the final seven. Filming is expected to finish at the end of August and the series should air on Foxtel by the end of the year.

Damaging dents

There is one star missing from the new season of global reality TV series Below Deck Downunder: Queensland beef baron Trevor Lee’s superyacht named after his wife, the Keri Lee III.

Last year PS reported that the Lees were embroiled in a multimillion-dollar legal stoush over claims their vessel sustained $12.85 million worth of damage during production.

This time it is a new superyacht, Japanese vessel The Northern Sun, which appears in the series, shot around Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Trevor Lees’ superyacht – named after his fashion designer wife – has been caught up in another headache. His company is suing insurance giant QBE in a bid to recover the $1.2 million spent repairing their dented superyacht, which is chartered for up to $365,000 a week.

Lee’s charter company, Keri Lee Charters Pty Ltd, has sued QBE Insurance (Australia) Ltd in the Federal Court in a bid to force the insurer to pay the full cost of repairs.

The claim alleged the marble vanities and shower recesses in three of the six suites – named High Society, Cartier and Schubert – were cracked, as was the marble in the foyer, windows were cracked and the hull was indented.

The yacht was allegedly damaged on May 10, 2020, in the Italian port of Genoa during an initial unsuccessful attempt to load it onto a heavy lift transport ship for its trip to Brisbane, then again two days later when it was loaded.

Spacey’s floating digs

Still on superyachts, the London court appearance of Kevin Spacey, where he is defending nine counts of sexual assault between 2001 and 2013, rekindled memories of the actor’s time in Sydney around the same time.

In 2011 Spacey came to Sydney to play Richard III in Sam Mendes’ production at the Lyric Theatre.

But rather than stay in a hotel or rented mansion, the actor opted for a 37-metre superyacht called Tango, organised by well-regarded Sydney captain Richard Morris.

Reflecting on Spacey’s desire to stay aboard a yacht, Morris told The Guardian earlier this year: “Dinner was at 1am and [Spacey’s] guests would leave at 4am. Then the yacht would move to Rose Bay and he’d sleep till midday, and then come back and do it all again,” Morris said.

“It’s an option for these very high-profile people. They’re anchored in the middle of the harbour. The level of security and discretion that a superyacht provides is much better than any hotel. They can control their world. And that’s the essence of yachting – it’s your world.” Fascinating.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.