Which journalist ‘likes to watch’ at society sex parties? Plus, hot rebound romance closes chapter on two ugly eastern suburbs splits: THE GROUP CHAT WITH LUCY MANLY

Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia’s most-trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news. 

Rebound romance is the talk of the town

There’s nothing quite like a love story that blossoms from the ashes of heartbreak.

I hear two high-profile eastern suburbs residents have been quietly hooking up after their respective marriages broke down amid a blaze of publicity.

In what sounds like the blurb of a well-fingered Mills & Boon novel, socialite Jessica Bowditch has fallen into the arms of strapping Texan financier Denham Schiff.

Their relationship follows Jessica’s acrimonious split from banker husband Dyson Bowditch, and Denham’s ex-wife calling it quits on their marriage during Covid.

TV producer and socialite Jessica Bowditch (right) is divorcing banker Dyson Bowditch (left)

Jessica is now being romanced by Texan financier Denham Schiff (left) whose ex-wife Juliet Anderson (right) called it quits on their marriage at the start of Covid

The Bowditches’ four-bedroom terrace home at Darling Point was recently listed by Sotheby’s

What was described by Jessica’s (left) lawyers as a ‘pillow fight’ with her husband Dyson (right) over a recent purchase resulted in an assault charge that was later dropped 

A friend tells me: ‘She’s got a type – you know, a wealthy man in finance.’

‘And he [Denham] certainly wouldn’t mind having an attractive woman on his arm after his divorce.’

Denham’s marriage broke down at the start of Covid when his wife Juliet Anderson, a Double Bay boutique owner, left him and began dating a colleague, Rowan Rundle.

The pair, who had worked together at Juliet’s monogramming shop The Monogram Mode, would later make things official by tying the knot in 2023.

They then embarked on an overseas honeymoon across Europe and Singapore.

If you thought that was messy – just wait until you hear the details of what happened when Jessica and Dyson’s marriage imploded last year.

What was described by Jessica’s lawyers as a ‘pillow fight’ with her husband over a recent purchase resulted in the 38-year-old former TV producer being arrested, charged with assault and slapped with an AVO.

The magistrate saw sense and last month mother-of-two Jessica avoided a conviction when her charge was dismissed on the condition she continue to seek mental health support for the next 12 months. 

Denham’s marriage broke down in 2020 when his wife Juliet (right), a Double Bay boutique owner, left him and began dating her colleague Rowan Rundle (left)

Juliet and Rowan, who had worked together at her shop The Monogram Mode, would later make things official by tying the knot in 2023 (they are pictured on their honeymoon in Italy)

The AVO will remain in place for two years.

Deputy chief magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis made a point of saying both Jessica and Dyson, who is Barrenjoey’s co-head of equity markets, had engaged in ‘childish behaviour’.

The Bowditches are now in the process of divorcing. Their four-bedroom marital home in Darling Point, which they had bought for $7.9million in 2021, was recently listed by Sotheby’s.

Here’s to no more pillow fights and plenty of pillow talk for the happy new couple!

Another ‘mortifying’ tale of woe

A little eastern suburbs scandal flew under the radar this week.

Fashion guru Katherine ‘Kate’ Killey pleaded guilty to a single charge of possessing a prohibited drug after cops sprung her buying a bag on a Friday night in Bondi.

The 40-year-old, who used to do PR for Alice McCall and now runs her own fashion sales business, The Known Agency, had been spied by plainclothes police on April 4 ducking into a Ford station wagon that had pulled up outside an apartment complex on Spring Street.

A quick search of the car showed it was from ‘well out of the area’.

When Ms Killey was seen exiting the vehicle just 20 seconds after sitting down in the passenger seat, it didn’t take Columbo to work out what was going on.

Fashion guru Katherine ‘Kate’ Killey (pictured) pleaded guilty to a single charge of possessing a prohibited drug after cops sprung her buying a bag on a Friday night in Bondi

She was stopped by the cops and when asked if she had drugs on her, a ‘clearly remorseful’ Ms Killey handed over a little baggie with 0.6g of cocaine inside.

When the matter made it to court less than two weeks later, it was dismissed without conviction. And fair enough: Ms Killey, originally an Adelaide girl, has an otherwise unblemished reputation and is highly regarded in her industry.

She told the court she was ‘mortified’, deeply sorry and her solicitor argued a criminal record would seriously impact her globe-trotting career in fashion.

While a small-time eastern suburbs’ cocaine arrest hardly seems to raise eyebrows these days, the remarks by the weary magistrate bear repeating here.

In a report by local rag the Wentworth Courier, you could almost hear the despair in Stephen Barlow‘s voice as he told Waverley Local Court on Tuesday that Ms Killey’s offending was ‘almost an eastern suburbs stereotype’ at this stage.

He went on to remark that ‘getting caught with cocaine in Bondi is pretty prevalent’.

Barlow noted that ‘intelligent’ eastern suburbs high flyers often assume they won’t get caught buying coke – even though police ‘have eyes on everyone around here’ as they seek to crack down on the illicit trade.

‘I’m not telling you to get your cocaine anywhere else,’ he added (lol).

‘But you have to decide what’s more important: your career, your reputation and the ability to travel to New York without having to be cross-examined, or is it cocaine?’

It’s a good question – perhaps one that other Sydney businesswomen with plenty to lose should be asking themselves.

A local news story this week about a fashion PR caught buying cocaine reminded us of Kristin Fisher’s (pictured) brush with the law in 2021 and a thundering slapdown from a magistrate

Now, Barlow’s gentle chiding of Ms Killey was nothing compared to the dressing-down fellow magistrate Ross Hudson gave Kristin Fisher back in October 2021 after her conviction for cocaine possession was annulled in the same court.

The Double Bay eyebrow queen, like Ms Killey, had been busted in a ‘dial-a-dealer’ situation after hopping into the passenger seat of a 19-year-old’s Kia Rio for a quick transaction.

A ‘mortified’ (that word again) Ms Fisher apologised for her ‘dreadful mistake’ and her application to annul her sentence was duly granted.

But she was given a stern warning that was directed at many others in the east.

‘People who justify their cocaine usage as socially acceptable or as part the social fabric… it is not. It is a criminal, illegal drug,’ thundered Hudson, who has since been appointed as a District Court judge.

‘It is a stain on our community. People in the eastern suburbs must be fed up with it.’

And finally… guess who, don’t sue!

All journalists are voyeurs by nature, but one particular scribe really likes to watch.

I hear this well-known reporter arranged a ‘treat’ for their younger lover, the details of which are so scandalous my hands tremor with excitement.

They arranged for a known media ‘bad boy’ to have sex with their eager paramour in front of a private audience hand-picked from high society.

The reviews are in. ‘Ten out of ten!’ one guest tells me.

• The subjects of this blind item are not mentioned or pictured elsewhere in this article.
• Additional reporting by Jo Scrimshire 

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