The Scoop: Qld celebrity, sport, business news and gossip

After two hugely successful international pop-ups, Brisbane sweet sensation Brooki Bakehouse has a third in the works. WE’VE GOT THE SCOOP

Brooki Bakehouse founder Brooke Bellamy at Brisbane AIrport

After two hugely successful international pop-ups, Brisbane sweet sensation Brooki Bakehouse has a third in the works, along with a new permanent store outside the Queensland capital.

The bakery, which has become popular the world over after blowing up on TikTok, has just returned from hosting two temporary stores in the UAE, one in Dubai and the other in Abu Dhabi where queues for its famous cookies were up to two hours long.

Now a new overseas destination is tipped to score the next pop-up, owner Brooke Bellamy teases.

“We’re looking at the next international pop-up location – a completely different continent and just keep growing Brooki,” she says, refusing to give more details on where it will be.

She is also keeping tight-lipped about her next Australian location, but says it won’t be far away, with husband Justice now in charge of the brand’s expansion plans, while she handles the marketing and product development side of the operation, as they both juggle parenting their six-month-old daughter.

“We’re really on the cusp of a massive growth stage, so our main focus now is just on opening more locations and getting our cookies to more people because a lot of people come out of their way from across Australia to Brisbane to visit us and we’d now like to take the bakery to more people and start building that out so Brooki can become a legacy brand for years to come,” Mrs Bellamy says.

FRICKER’S SPLASH ON DATING APPS

Women of the internet are doing a double take after spotting Olympic diver and YouTube sensation Sam Fricker on dating apps, and his profile is making just as much of a splash as his dives.

Fricker, 22, appears to be testing the waters of modern romance, with verified profiles surfacing across multiple apps this week. His photos range from playful, posing in budgie smugglers and cuddling his dog, to polished, featuring a professional headshot designed to draw in potential matches.

Aussie diver Sam Fricker. Photo: Instagram.

While the athlete has kept things lighthearted, his bio suggests he’s looking for something “short term, open to long,” and is still “figuring out” his relationship type when it comes to monogamy.

It comes just weeks after Fricker’s high-profile podcast interview with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, and further fuelled speculation about the influencer’s political leanings.

Despite boasting a jaw-dropping 5.87 million YouTube subscribers, Fricker’s real-life love life remains a mystery.

At the time of publication, it remains unclear whether the profile is genuinely his or the work of a convincing catfish.

Still, fans seem to be enjoying the rare peek behind the scenes of the social media sensation’s personal life.

As one user put it, “If Sam’s swiping nearby, I’m diving in.”

MARGOT’S JAW-DROPPING BIKINI

Margot Robbie may have been enjoying a quiet Easter weekend on the Gold Coast, but her beachside style was anything but low-key.

Photographed with husband Tom Ackerley and friends, the Barbie star turned heads in a powder-blue bikini — and now, the designer behind the look has been revealed.

The two-piece is by US label SIMKHAI, with the Anniston bikini top retailing for $249.67 and the Teya high-waisted ruched bottoms priced at $215.24. The set — which totals $464.91 — is available online via high-end fashion retailer Revolve.

While the price may raise eyebrows, the flattering cut and soft “Periwinkle Sky” shade have already generated buzz among fans eager to replicate the star’s effortless look.

The Queensland-born actress, who gave birth to her first child just six months ago, paired the swimsuit with a gold “mama” necklace — a subtle nod to motherhood — as she enjoyed the surf at a secluded local beach.

BRISBANE FESTIVAL’S CONTROVERSIAL PR CALL

Brisbane Festival has appointed a Melbourne-based agency to handle its publicity, sparking mixed reactions within the city’s communications industry.

Common State, which has offices in Melbourne and Sydney and plans to expand into Brisbane in the future, was announced as the festival’s new publicity partner last week via industry newsletter Social Diary.

The decision marks a shift away from Brisbane-based agency Aruga, which had previously handled the festival’s media strategy. The reasons for the change have not been disclosed.

While Common State’s portfolio includes high-profile cultural clients such as Fed Square, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and RISING, some local industry professionals have expressed concern that a key Brisbane event has opted to outsource its publicity.

“It’s disappointing to see a major Brisbane event outsource its voice to another state,” one Brisbane-based publicist said. “We have incredible agencies here who understand this city and its people.”

Ex Brisbane Festival artistic director Louise Bezzina. Picture: Liam Kidston

Others have taken a more pragmatic view, noting that the appointment of a nationally recognised agency could reflect the festival’s continued growth and evolving ambitions.

In a dramatic debut, Common State’s first official act as Brisbane Festival’s new PR firm was delivering the bombshell announcement that artistic director Louise Bezzina will step down after the 2025 season, a move that sent shockwaves through the arts community this week.

Ms Bezzina, who has led the annual September festival since 2019, will take on the dual role of CEO and artistic director at Brisbane Powerhouse from next year.

In a statement, she described her time at the festival as “an extraordinary chapter – one filled with bold ambition, creative risk-taking, and a deep love for this festival that will stay with me always”.

“It has been an immense honour to co-lead this phenomenal organisation alongside my dear friend Charlie Cush,” she said.

“Together, with a team of super humans, we’ve dared to dream big – and made the impossible possible.”

COURT GENTLEMAN TO RETIRE

The Supreme Court’s Justice Peter Flanagan is set to hang up his wig, eschewing a valedictory because that’s just not his style.

Regarded as a true gentleman Justice Flanagan sits on the Court of Appeal and let it be known this week that he would be retiring.

The Honourable Justice Peter Flanagan. Photographer: Liam Kidston

A former director of Barristers’ Chambers Limited he was appointed to the bar in 1982 before taking silk in 2002.

The UQ graduate was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in June 2014 at the same time as controversial Chief Justice Tim Carmody.

He served as the President of the Mental Health Court from 2020 to 2022 when he was appointed an appeal judge.

Notable cases included the Wagner brothers defamation suit against Alan Jones which saw the former talkback king and his radio bosses fork out $3.7m to the Toowoomba businessmen

Justice Flanagan also sentenced Lindy Williams to life for the gruesome murder of her boyfriend Coolum Football Club president George Gerbic who she then decapitated and disposed of with an electric saw.

INFLUENTIAL WOMEN UNITE FOR GOOD CAUSE

This September some of South East Queensland’s most glamorous and influential women will voluntarily give up their beds to sleep in their cars — in a dramatic show of solidarity with the growing number of older women facing homelessness.

Gold Coast radio star Emily Jade O’Keeffe, Lady Mayoress Nina Schrinner, Sunrise journalist Georgie Chumbley, WAG and radio host Margaux Parker, and REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella have all announced they’ll be taking part in the Live Like Her Challenge, a public sleepout aiming to raise $400,000 for women over 55 doing it tough.

“Did you know that right now, over 200 women over the age of 55 are currently homeless on the Gold Coast?” O’Keeffe said.

“They’re living in their cars, they’re couch surfing, and they’re living rough. This is where we need your help … It’s an opportunity for you to join me to sleep in our cars for one night to understand what they’re going through and to help raise funds for Forgotten Women.”

Lady Mayoress Nina Schrinner added: “Thousands of women are living in their cars, couch surfing, or worse, sleeping on the streets. Of course, we understand that homelessness could impact anyone. Your life could change in a minute … We have let them down, and that’s not okay. I’m personally offended by that, but I do not look the other way.”

Brisbane’s sleepout will take place on September 4, followed by the Gold Coast event on September 11 at Robina Town Centre.