Inside Australia’s nastiest break-up: For 12 years he loved her curves – then dumped her for a gym junkie. You’ve seen his brutal posts – now she tells the Mail why she’s convinced there was a ‘betrayal’

A messy Melbourne break-up has erupted into an all-out social media war after curvy influencer Claudia Kaqinari accused her ex-boyfriend of inflicting the ‘most painful betrayal’ of her life by hooking up with a fellow gym junkie.

The dramatic end of Claudia’s 12-year romance with fitness fanatic Terence Simoes – and his whirlwind new relationship with ripped glamazon Stefania Morano just weeks later – has set tongues wagging across the city.

As the former couple’s followers pick sides in the bitter split, both parties are now offering wildly different accounts of what really happened.

The saga began with an emotional video 32-year-old Claudia shared on Sunday in which she tearfully revealed how she and Simoes had separated seven weeks earlier, after more than a decade together.

‘I honestly never thought I would be going through something like this, especially after being with someone for over 12 years, someone that I honestly thought I would be spending my forever with,’ she wept.

Claudia has avoided revealing the exact details of what went down, but has hinted that her followers have already connected the dots about the break-up.

‘I think it’s become very clear publicly, not by me, what’s happened,’ she said.

‘Dealing with a break-up is hard enough, but then navigating the most painful betrayal I ever could have imagined after building a life with someone for over a decade is really a level of grief that I never wanted to experience.’

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail this week, Claudia revealed that she and Simoes had been planning a future together before everything suddenly unravelled.

‘Honestly, it was a really beautiful relationship, which is probably why I was so shocked about all of this,’ she said.

‘We were planning on marriage and kids – everything, really. Like, the whole future.’

When asked what she meant when she said there had been a ‘painful betrayal’, Claudia claimed there had been a breakdown of trust in the relationship.

‘There was basically a betrayal. He was unloyal, pretty much,’ she told the Mail. 

Claudia claimed their relationship did not end immediately after she became aware of the ‘betrayal’.

‘It was probably about four weeks after that that we actually ended things officially,’ she said.

‘The person that I loved most blindsided me and completely chose another path, when I truly don’t think there was any real reason to end it all.’

Claudia has not been facing the fallout alone. Big Brother star Christina Podolyan, NRL WAG Rebecca Stevens, and Melbourne publicist Helen Reizer have all publicly backed her, flooding her comments section with messages of support.

While Claudia shared reflections on heartbreak, healing and starting again in her early 30s, Simoes was sending a very different message online.

In a series of Instagram Stories, the shirtless tradesman filmed himself flexing in a bathroom mirror while posting a blunt message directed at an unnamed ex-partner.

‘My ex is just cut because when a guy like me walks away you know you f***ed up,’ he wrote, bluntly.

‘When a guy like me who provides the perfect environment to thrive and who gives you every opportunity to flourish and grow and you take advantage of it and flop it, you f***ed up.’

The striking post instantly set off a wave of discussion among followers, many convinced it was directed at Claudia.

Given Claudia’s reputation as a curvy influencer, some even drew the conclusion that Simoes was somehow body-shaming her.

The electrician doubled down, saying that strangers on social media were passing judgement on a situation they knew little about.

‘People who have never met you, never sat at your table, never heard both sides of a story somehow find the time to wake up at 6am and leave negative comments,’ he wrote.

‘The people building something meaningful have time to sit around tearing strangers down. Keep reaching, keep commenting, keep following. I’m still moving forward.’

These cocky posts came after Simoes appeared to go ‘Instagram official’ with Stefania Morano on June 10.

In photos shared online, the new couple posed together inside an apartment.

‘I think my smile says enough,’ Morano captioned the post.

The timing immediately fuelled speculation among fans given the apparent suddenness of Simoes’ split from Claudia: when did his relationship with Morano begin?

Neither party has publicly addressed those questions directly.

However, when asked whether she believed Simoes’ new relationship began before theirs had ended, Claudia offered a blunt response.

‘Yes. The relationship was simultaneous,’ she alleged.

Simoes fired another public shot on Tuesday, posting yet another shirtless photo alongside a message that read:

‘Imagine being an adult and crying on the internet for validation from strangers,’ he wrote, seemingly in reference to Claudia’s previous posts.

‘If you inboxed me yesterday, chances are I left you on unread. I didn’t give you my time, but you gave me yours.

‘Keep watching, keep commenting, keep talking. Either way, you’re investing your energy into my life while I’m investing mine into my future.’

The Mail was among those who ‘inboxed’ Simoes and did not receive a response. If he would like to tell his side of the story, we are happy to publish it. 

Despite Claudia’s explosive claims, she insists she has no interest in publicly attacking either Simoes or Morano.

‘I just want it to be about my healing journey,’ she said.

‘That’s why I was very vague in my post in the first place. I just wanted to say that we’ve ended and that there was betrayal involved, because I really don’t want any hate on any other parties to come of this.’

Instead, she said she hopes that sharing her experience will help others navigating similar heartbreak.

‘To be betrayed by someone that you thought was your best friend and lover for the last 12 years… We pretty much grew up with each other. We did everything together,’ she said.

‘Starting over means finding myself again and learning what life looks like without him.’

Claudia says she hasn’t given up on love and rebuilding her life.

‘I still believe in love. I still believe in being kind-hearted, in being loyal, in choosing integrity,’ she told her social media followers.

‘One thing that they can never take away from you is your heart and who you are at your core.

‘Starting over at 32 was definitely not on my 2026 bingo card.’

All three parties were contacted for comment for this story, but only Claudia replied.