Inside Melbourne ‘It’ girl Mia Fevola’s fashion line, dating, controversies
She was brought up by AFL legend Brendan Fevola and her WAG mum Alex but social media influencer Mia Fevola has raised her own public profile over the years — with some controversies along the way.
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Mia Fevola was raised by her WAG mum Alex and AFL great Brendan Fevola, where she became used to life in the public eye at a young age.
When Brendan adopted her around the same time as his marriage to Alex in 2005, she was basically brought up in the spotlight.
This — along with the public’s constant appetite about her personal life including her recent relationships to AFL players — led to her rise in the social scene to become Melbourne’s ‘It’ girl.
But Mia is a star in her own right as a brand ambassador with 150K Instagram followers and founder of her own leisurewear fashion label.
Here’s a look at the 22-year-old’s achievements, relationships and controversies.
Personal life
Mia was born on January 14, 2000. She is the eldest daughter of Alex Cheatham. Her biological father Lonny died when she was young.
While promoting her new book Silver Linings, her mum Alex revealed Mia’s father suicided, leaving her as a single parent when she was just aged 22.
“There was never a defining moment where she was told, I made sure she knew that growing up from a baby. I just didn’t give her all the details, I didn’t tell her it was suicide until she was a bit older,” Alex told the Saturday Herald Sun.
“When she would get older I would disclose more information but as a little child I didn’t tell her it was suicide because I didn’t want her to process that at such a young age.”
When Alex and AFL legend Brendan Fevola got married in 2005, he legally adopted Mia and raised her as his own along with the three other daughters he had with Alex — Leni, Lulu, and Tobi.
Work life
Mia completed a bachelor of business (marketing) degree and has put it to good use, becoming an entrepreneur and social media influencer with 150K followers on Instagram.
She founded her own streetwear label MALLT Collective in 2020 and has plans to further expand this fashion brand.
The 22-year-old is also a make-up artist who works in her mum Alex’s business Runway Room.
Relationships
Mia says she is single at the moment but she has been in high-profile relationships in the past few years.
She was most recently dating the No.1 pick in the 2020 AFL draft, Bulldogs star player Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.
Mia and Ugle-Hagan dated for about a year, waiting a few months before making their relationship Instagram official in March 2021. They were almost inseparable during that time, spending most of lockdown together.
But then they split by October of the same year.
“Thank you to everyone for all the photos and messages,’’ Mia wrote on Instagram when she announced their break-up.
“Jamarra and I have now gone our separate ways, I appreciate your messages and thank you for respecting my privacy.”
After the breakdown of the relationship, Mia wiped all traces of Ugle-Hagan from her Instagram account. The Herald Sun revealed a source said there was too much pressure on the young relationship, which led to the break-up.
Prior to that, Mia was dating Richmond Football Club player Daniel Rioli for two years. They announced the end of their relationship in February 2020 and remain close friends.
Since their break-up, Rioli started dating TikTok sensation Paris Lawrence.
In July 2022, Mia was linked to Sorrento Sharks footy player and businessman Daniel Grant after they were spotted holidaying with a group in Bali in July 2022, but she has denied they are dating. Instead rumour has it they have developed a close friendship after meeting at the start of the year.
Controversies
When Mia publicly announced her relationship to Ugle-Hagan in March 2021, she was bombarded by online trolls posting derogatory comments based on her past relationship with Daniel Rioli, where she dated the Richmond star for two years before they broke up in 2020.
The consistent online abuse forced Mia to post her own message in retaliation online, showing the messages she constantly woke up to.
“I dread checking my phone because I know what messages and comments await me. I now don’t check my phone in the morning because whenever I do, it ruins my day,” she wrote.
“It’s been months of this, I’m so sick of staying silent and hoping that it will just eventually die off.
“My point is, if you can’t be compassionate, understanding, or even just decent, then be QUIET.”
Her dad Brendan also spoke about trolls “slut-shaming” his daughter on his FOX FM radio show Fifi, Fev and Nick.
“Blokes can do whatever they want,’’ Brendan said in March 2021.
“They can go and date girls and no one judges them. It’s a lad thing. But as soon as a girl does it.
“All the trolls that come out and pot people, and the keyboard warriors who are slut-shaming my daughter — it’s just not on.”
She was targeted again by trolls when she announced her break up with Ugle-Hagan in October 2021.
In July 2022, her mum Alex spoke out about how it’s disappointing how Mia is tagged in a derogatory way as a serial dater of footballers.
She was also forced to apologise after posting on social media that she was escaping to her family holiday house for lockdown in July 2021.
She was smashed in the comments, accused of being privileged and being “tone deaf” while others were suffering more during the lockdown, prompting her to explain she was already staying in her family’s holiday home because their Melbourne home was undergoing renovations.
Health battle
She faced constant comments for being too skinny over the years but in February this year, Mia revealed she is the “heaviest, happiest and healthiest” she has ever been.
In June 2021 she was diagnosed with coeliac disease, an auto-immune disorder where the immune system reacts badly to gluten.
Since then, she has changed up her diet and has also been working out to help improve her constant tiredness and to lead to healthy weight gain.
“I would have people online and in person telling me to just eat something, when I was eating the same sized meals as my Dad,’’ she said.
“After years of trial and error I think I’m finally starting to figure out what works for me.”
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