JACKIE O’S WEDDING HEARTACHE
While the coronavirus restrictions have no doubt put pressure on some relationships, with people stuck in isolation together, one couple who aren’t feeling the strain is Jackie O’s ex-husband Lee Henderson and his new girlfriend Gabriella ‘Gabi’ Motta.
The pair have been quietly dating for almost two years, and now sources reveal that they have also secretly gotten engaged recently.
“There are whispers that Lee popped the question to Gabi a few weeks ago and they’ve been gradually sharing the happy news with their nearest and dearest,” a pal close to the couple reveals. “They’re over the moon!”
While the fiercely private couple haven’t shared any details surrounding their engagement, friends say it would have been a simple “low-key” affair.
“They’re really laid-back people; they wouldn’t have made a fuss and it wouldn’t have been a huge over-the-top event,” the friend explains. “Probably just at home with the two of them, maybe even with [Lee’s daughter] Kitty involved somehow, or at their favourite beach – something like that I’d imagine.”
While the couple are remaining coy about their exciting news, Lee and Gabi are making no secret of the fact that they want to start a family in the not-so-distant future.
“They don’t want to waste any time,” the friend dishes. “Lee is already a full-time stay-at-home dad and he desperately wants to give Kitty a brother or sister, and Gabi would love to have kids of her own, too.”
According to the source, Lee’s engagement is the main reason why Jackie’s daughter Kitty, 9, is currently isolating with the KIIS FM radio host and not Lee, who she normally lives with full-time.
“Jackie wanted to give Lee and Gabi some time alone to themselves to enjoy this special moment, so she offered to have Kitty with her full-time,” the source continues.
“Jackie is really happy for them.”
While Jackie insists she has remained “good friends” with Lee since their “amicable split”, friends close to the radio star say that the news would still be hard to swallow.
“She’s not one for drama so she’s putting on a brave face for the sake of Kitty, but I imagine a part of her would be a little heartbroken,” the insider says.
“It’s never nice knowing that your ex has moved on, and so quickly too, especially when Jackie is still single herself.”
Lee’s exciting news comes just weeks after he and Jackie sold their family home in Vaucluse, Sydney.
According to reports, the palatial five-bedroom property was snapped up for more than its $6.5 million guide price.
The couple purchased the fairytale mansion on the 766sqm block for $2.7 million in 2012 and fully renovated it not long after.
Jackie shocked fans when
she announced her split from Lee after 18 years of marriage, on her KIIS FM radio show in October 2018.
“After 18 years together, we have made the decision to separate. We do so amicably, sharing many incredible memories and remaining best friends,” she announced to her co-host, Kyle Sandilands.
Lee and Gabi met several years ago at Garage Jiu Jitsu, a Sydney martial arts school, where Gabi works as an instructor and where Lee and Kitty train.
In a strange twist, Jackie and Gabi were also friends for several years prior, with Gabi attending a number of social gatherings at Lee and Jackie’s Vaucluse home during their marriage.