Sad family rift behind Sophie Monk’s empty wedding

Monk eloped for her recent wedding to Joshua Gross – and it’s now reported there is a painful family rift behind her decision.

Sophie Monk’s recent wedding to Joshua Gross was a super-intimate affair, with Monk telling fans their pair “eloped-ish at home” for a low-key, guest-free ceremony.

And according to a new report, a painful rift within the Monk family could be the reason behind Sophie’s decision not to invite guests to the event, which was featured in a stunning spread in Stellar magazine last month.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Sophie’s mother Sandi, father Andrew and sister Lucy have been “unable to repair their relationship” after it broke down several years ago.

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Sophie Monk's recent wedding was a guest-free affair.

The rift is reported to have formed shortly after Monk started dating Gross in 2018. Tensions were at one stage so high, Monk’s parents moved out of the Gold Coast home they had shared with her for four years.

The Daily Telegraph reports that while Monk and her parents are on speaking terms, the relationship between them is still “significantly strained.” Sophie and sister Lucy had “partly repaired” their relationship, but not enough for Lucy to score an invite to the wedding.

Speaking to news.com.au in July last year, Monk appeared to subtly tease her plans for a guest-free wedding, saying she wanted “no drama” on the big day.

“I think we’re just going to keep it quiet, low-key, and no drama for anyone. I just want it to be an amazing day between us,” she said.

The Monks in 2017, L-R: Mum Sandi, Sophie, sister Lucy and Dad Andrew. Picture: Channel 10

In an exclusive interview about the wedding with Stellar last month, Sophie insisted the decision to keep things intimate was a no-brainer.

“We always thought we’d elope.

“So many people said to me, ‘I didn’t even see my husband on the night; if I had my wedding over, we’d just elope’. So we thought, well, why don’t we just get married at home? I’ve seen people get really stressed about their wedding and ours has been so stress-free.”

Sophie insisted it was no big deal not having family or friends at the ceremony.

Instead, the loved-up couple held an intimate at-home dinner with just two guests: Sophie and Josh. No family or friends were present.

“I’m 42, so I feel like (our loved ones) are like, OK, do it your way. We figured if we don’t invite one person, then no-one could get upset,” she told Stellar.

Monk and Gross first met on a flight from Europe to Australia in August 2018, sharing a mid-air kiss after enjoying “three champagnes” in business class. Before that, Bardot and Bachelorette star Sophie was known for being unlucky in love: had been engaged twice before, to French businessman Jimmy Esebag in 2011 and Benji Madden in 2007.

Originally published as Sad family rift behind Sophie Monk’s empty wedding