AFL WAG Nadia Bartel’s ‘cocaine’ snorting scandal sent shockwaves around the country last week.
But a Byron Bay influencer says cocaine use is common among Australia’s glamorous Instagram model community.
Ruby Tuesday Matthews, best remembered for her 2020 ‘Oystergate’ scandal, claims many social media influencers use the illegal drug as an appetite suppressant.
Don’t fool yourself, Nadia Bartel isn’t the only influencer ‘doing coke’: Byron Bay influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews, 27, (pictured) claims many Instagram models use cocaine to stay thin
The 27-year-old exposed the industry’s dirty little secret in January 2019 when she revealed she used to follow a strict diet of cigarettes, black coffee and cocaine to stay thin.
She claimed that many people in her industry ‘love the baggie’ – a slang term for the drug – because ‘that is how most physiques are maintained’.
‘I did a lot of cocaine, like a lot, so basically I just smoked cigarettes, had long blacks and did coke,’ she said.
‘That is how physiques are maintained’: The online model exposed her industry’s dirty little secret in January 2019 when she revealed she used to follow a strict diet of cigarettes, black coffee and cocaine to stay thin
‘A lot of people never really understood how I could eat and still be so thin, but I guess it’s pretty easy to hide an addiction.
‘People don’t realise how easy it is to hide something. Whether it’s addiction, depression, anxiety, it’s easy to hide those things.’
The mother of two gave up cocaine three days after snorting the white powder at a party, when she learned she was pregnant.
Quit: The mother-of-two gave up cocaine three days after snorting the white powder at a party, when she learned she was pregnant
She admitted she immediately became concerned her big night out might have hurt her unborn baby in some way.
‘I was so thin and I was partying a lot and no one thought I would be able to fall pregnant,’ she said.
Unfortunately for Nadia, her cocaine use became public knowledge on Friday after footage went viral of her sniffing lines of white powder, believed to be cocaine, off a $1.50 Kmart dinner plate at a gathering last week.
Sad: ‘A lot of people never really understood how I could eat and still be so thin, but I guess it’s pretty easy to hide an addiction’, she said
On Sunday, a source claimed that Nadia was betrayed by a member of her own inner circle who leaked her sensational ‘cocaine’ video to the media.
‘The cocaine video was deliberately leaked by someone within Nadia’s elite Melbourne social circle,’ the insider said.
‘This is someone who for all intents and purposes seems to be Nadia’s friend on Instagram but they are secretly jealous,’ they added.
Video: Nadia (pictured) was filmed breaking Melbourne’s strict lockdown and snorting what is believed to be cocaine at a party on Thursday night
The source went on to say that the video being posted in the first instance was a genuine mistake, ‘but Nadia’s nemesis pounced on it and immediately sent it to people she knew could get it to the press quickly’.
Leaking the video was part of ‘a campaign of revenge… someone wants to shut her down,’ they added.
The source made it clear that Bartel’s good friends like Bec Judd and Jessie Murphy did not leak the video, and that while the person is ‘well known in the social group’ they are not a fellow WAG.
Video: The clip begins with the fashion and beauty influencer appearing to lean over the plate with a rolled-up banknote in her left nostril as she presses her right nostril. She then snorts the substance as one of the women watches on
There is sympathy for Bartel’s plight among her A-list pals, the source added, as the video leaker ‘broke the code’ about keeping such activity private within tight glitterati circles.
‘Nadia is genuinely apologetic but a lot of people in the upper echelons of Melbourne society feel genuinely bad for her,’ the source said.
‘These sorts of videos of celebrities behaving badly are doing the rounds everywhere – in private WhatsApp groups and Facebook chats. The fact this video leaked to the press and went public broke the code.’
Nadia’s friend and business partner Ellie Pearson, who filmed and published the now-viral clip entirely by mistake, revealed she was remorseful over the incident.
Heartbroken: Ellie Pearson (L) who filmed and published the now-viral clip entirely by mistake, revealed she was remorseful over the incident. ‘I’m just devastated,’ she told The Herald Sun on Friday evening
‘I’m just devastated,’ she told The Herald Sun on Friday evening.
A new report alleges the video first found its way online due to Pearson having a cracked phone screen.
The Sydney Morning Herald claimed on Saturday that Pearson was attempting to send the video to her sister.
However, because her phone screen was damaged, she hit the wrong buttons.
Scandal: Bartel was visited by police after she was filmed breaking Melbourne’s strict lockdown and snorting what is believed to be cocaine at a party on Thursday night
As a result, the clip was posted to both Instagram and Facebook, and was online for about ten minutes before being deleted, the paper claims.
But it was quickly copied by others and shared around, going viral on Thursday night and making headlines by Friday morning.
Bartel was visited by police at her $3million inner-city residence on Friday evening.
Apology: Breaking her silence in a post shared to Instagram on Friday afternoon, the 36-year-old wrote: ‘Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future’
Two plainclothes police officers were seen arriving at Bartel’s home but were reportedly unable to make contact with her.
Police have since confirmed that Bartel has spoken with them, and no fines have been issued as of Saturday.
‘Victoria Police is aware of a video currently on social media depicting alleged illicit drug use and an alleged breach of CHO directions,’ a spokeswoman told The Herald Sun on Saturday.
‘Victoria Police has made contact with a 36-year-old Windsor woman who is assisting with inquiries. As the investigation is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time,’ the spokesperson added.
Former relationship: Nadia is the ex-wife of retired AFL star Jimmy Bartel, a Brownlow Medallist who spent his career with the Geelong Cats
Bartel broke her silence and issued an apology over the incident on Friday evening.
‘Hi everyone, I have let you all down by my actions. I take full responsibility and I am committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure I make better choices in future,’ she wrote in an Instagram post on Friday evening.
‘To my family and friends, my business partners and the public health workers trying to keep us all safe, I am embarrassed and remorseful. I am truly and deeply sorry. I hope I can earn your forgiveness and, in time, your trust.’
Bartel is a mother of two and entrepreneur who runs the fake-tan company Spray Aus and clothing label Henne.
She is the ex-wife of retired AFL star Jimmy Bartel, a Brownlow Medallist who spent his career with the Geelong Cats.
The couple split in 2019 after five years of marriage.
Entrepreneur: Bartel is a mother of two and entrepreneur who runs the fake-tan company Spray Aus and clothing label Henne