A rift between two prominent socialites is the talk of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, with rumours swirling they may have fallen out once again.
Billionaire Jessica Ingham, the so-called ‘chicken heiress’, used to be friends with influencer Laura Hazzouri, wife of Revelop property developer Charbel Hazzouri.
But murmurs of discord first surfaced around ten months ago.
The reason for their cooling relations was unclear, though it was joked at the time that they may have run out of things to talk about after they both dropped Roxy Jacenko, the PR maven who first introduced them.
Roxy and Jessica, once BFFs, famously fell out years ago over their luxury candle business XRJ, and the Ingham family scion seemed to get Laura in the divorce when she left Roxy’s talent agency The Ministry of Talent shortly thereafter.
But by May last year, Jessica and Laura’s friendship was reportedly strained – and now there’s feverish talk of yet another fracture.
A rift between two prominent socialites is the talk of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, with rumours swirling they may have fallen out once again
Laura (right) and Jessica (second from left) had formed a close friendship as they both drifted away from the influential PR boss who introduced them, Roxy Jacenko (centre)
Whatever is happening behind the scenes, the evidence of Jessica and Laura’s rift is clear: they have again unfollowed each other and seem to have scrubbed their socials of all evidence the friendship ever existed.
There has been some mischievous speculation that Jessica and Laura’s rift might have something to do with Laura being invited to a big artsy luncheon last week hosted by Holly Lucas – the daughter-in-law of Melbourne society queen bee Sarah Lucas and, according to some, the new ‘It’ girl of the moment.
The lunch was held at the ritzy Japanese fusion restaurant Kisumé, on Melbourne’s Flinders Lane, and said by those in the know to have been a must-attend occasion.
Laura, who lives at McMahons Point with her husband and three sons, scored an invite to the elite south-of-the-border gathering, which Holly loftily described as being ‘as much about friendship and shared history as it is about design’.
Her attendance was doubtless noted by the usual old money Sydney snobs who previously took umbrage at Laura’s humble beginnings in Dubbo and her over-the-top displays of wealth online.
The vlogger had ruffled feathers in January when her meticulously styled ‘day in the life’ video – documenting her preparations for a family trip to the Maldives – circulated widely in society WhatsApp group chats.
The video, which was posted to Laura’s 65,000 followers on January 6, certainly divided opinion among eastern suburbs tastemakers.
Some admired her chutzpah, while others found it unbearably gauche.
Laura (second right) ruffled feathers in January when her ‘day in the life’ video – documenting her preparations for a family trip to the Maldives – circulated widely in society group chats
The chatter reflected the broader ‘insider vs outsider’ snobbery that has been a feature of Sydney high society since Federation, with one source noting that Laura originally hails from regional NSW, a long way from the Bondi bubble.
It is not suggested Jessica was involved in the WhatsApp gossiping about Laura.
The video followed Laura as she got her nails done at a high-end salon before returning to her sprawling home to prepare for business-class travel with husband Charbel and their three sons.
Two YSL beach totes worth $800 apiece were zipped into protective dust bags, thousands of dollars’ worth of Cartier jewellery was carefully arranged in travel containers, and a Louis Vuitton beauty case valued at roughly $3,000 was highlighted in a close-up.
The family then bundled into a car packed with designer luggage, bound for the airport.
Laura, whose maiden name is Marshall, filmed herself gliding through the terminal with her suitcase and a Goyard tote worth about $3,000, before the family settled into the Qantas Club ahead of take-off.
The evidence of Jessica (pictured) and Laura’s rift is clear: they have again unfollowed each other and seem to have scrubbed their socials of all evidence the friendship ever existed
In November, the Daily Mail reported that Jessica had split from her second husband, building tycoon Roger Zraika. (The former couple is pictured in Port Douglas in March 2021)
For some in Sydney’s more refined postcodes, the video read less like lifestyle inspiration and more like an embarrassing and unnecessary flex.
‘Her “day in a life” is not real or relatable. You don’t see Deb Symond O’Neil – who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth – sharing videos like that,’ a well-placed society insider told us at the time.
Laura’s origins in Dubbo added a compelling social edge to the jealous chatter – proving that the old-fashioned class system is still alive and kicking in the land of the ‘fair go’.
While the specifics of her early years are unclear, she has almost certainly upgraded her lifestyle since meeting husband Charbel, a businessman who founded property development company Revelop with cousin Anthony El-Hazouri.
The couple, who have been together for many years, have been living in a mansion in McMahons Point for more than a decade, but are planning to upsize after buying a $13.5million Kurraba Point home in 2020.
They have since knocked down the property and are building their dream house: a Luigi Rosselli-designed mansion with a swimming pool, landscaped outdoor areas and multiple living zones.
According to a source, Laura has indicated that she and her husband will keep their existing mansion even after making the move to Kurraba Point.
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