Australian celebrities among thousands caught up in LA wildfire disaster
Actors Rebel Wilson, Mel Gibson and chef Curtis Stone are among the Australian celebrities affected by the fires that continue to rip through LA.
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Actors Rebel Wilson, Mel Gibson, Benjamin Rigby and Anna Bamford, billionaire bride Bella Hunter, chef Curtis Stone, singer G-Flip, model Pia Miller and adopted Aussie Didier Cohen are among the Australian celebrities affected by the fires that continue to rip through the Los Angeles area..
Didier Cohen
Cohen, who appeared on the local versions of Next Top Model and The Apprentice, and his wife Chanel Wolf’s LA home has been burned to the ground.
He has documented the tragedy via his Instagram account and has asked his fans and followers for support after revealing his insurance company had “denied our claim”.
“Our home burned down today,” he wrote on Instagram.
“All of the belongings that we’ve ever acquired in our lives are gone except one suitcase each. We worked so hard - invested so much time, money, energy and love into creating and furnishing our dream home and intentionally building a fresh start together only to watch it all burn down after one month.
“Grief... Part of the curriculum I’ve been taught... I never thought I’d have to grieve my whole life while I’m still alive. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and thank you to the mother, the source, for the lessons I haven’t understood yet. Our story is just one of thousands including my father as well.”
He also revealed yesterday that insurance had denied their claim.
“Our insurance also just denied covering our property,” he wrote.
“If you feel inspired or inclined to help, we created a GoFundMe to help us rebuild.
“If you have any discounts or connections for clothing, or furniture or anything else you can offer, that would be so helpful too.”
Benjamin Rigby
Australian actor Benjamin Rigby, who has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters including Alien: Covenant and Ford v. Ferrari, shared a heartbreaking image of his decimated home to social media alongside a moving caption.
“My heart is absolutely and completely broken,” he wrote.
“Our home is gone.”
Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson appeared on a Joe Rogan episode yesterday, where he stated, “I will be surprised if my home is still there.”
“I have a son who is in the volunteer fire brigade… I said, “how’s things looking there Milo?” and he said, “not good pops,” and he sent me a video of my neighbourhood and it is in flames. It looks like an inferno.”
He was also critical of the Government not giving enough funding towards preventing wild fires.
Bella Hunter
Bella Hunter, who married US billionaire and Restoration Hardware founder Gary Friedman, have a $US27 million Malibu home.
It’s not known whether their house has been affected directly, however, Bella shared multiple posts regarding the fires to her Instagram page including a message to let her fans and followers know she and her husband are safe.
“My heart is with everyone who has lost their home and are suffering through these unimaginable devastating fires,” she wrote.
“There are no words. Sending love and strength to all who are affected and being evacuated in LA right now... We were not in Malibu the last two days - thank you for everyone checking in to see if we are okay.”
Curtis Stone
Australian chef Curtis Stone and his wife Lindsay Price were evacuated with their two sons Hudson, 14, and Emerson, 10.
She has since revealed they are ‘safe’ but didn’t give an update on the condition of their family home.
‘Thanks for all the love and care. We evacuated yesterday and are safe. Praying for our beloved neighbourhood of Palisades and all of LA,’ she wrote on social media.
Rebel Wilson
Pitch Perfect actor Rebel Wilson has revealed her cat had to be rescued and her home was caught in the path of the fires.
The Australian actor and her wife, Ramona Agruma, live in the Hollywood Hills with their two-year-old daughter, Royce.
Wilson shared a message on Instagram revealing they had been affected by the catastrophic event.
“Cannot believe this,” Wilson captioned a video.
“Thank you Ornela for saving our cat.”
Anna Bamford
US based Wonderland actor Anna Bamford didn’t state whether her home was impacted, however thanked her family and friends for checking in on her.
“The most beautiful part of LA. Unimaginable damage from ther fires. Please stay safe LA friends and thank you to all who have checked in on us.”
Megan Blake Irwin
Australian model Megan Blake Irwin has also shared her heartbreak after being caught up in the fires. Taking to her Instagram stories she posted an image of flames close by with the caption “from my backyard.”
She followed up with a message, telling fans she was “safe with my fur babies. So scary. Woken up yet again with so much sorrow in my heart.”
Scott Tweedie
Meanwhile, while his home wasn’t affected, TV personality Scott Tweedie revealed that he has taken in 12 people to his Los Angeles home in the midst of the fires.
The Australian TV presenter, 36 who lives in Venice Beach said while he was safe and his area had been unaffected by the wildfires, some of his friends have lost ‘everything’ prompting him to take 12 people into his home after they were forced to evacuate and flee their own properties.
“It’s been such a wild experience on just so many levels but I’m in Venice Beach at the moment, I’m 100 per cent OK,’ he told the Kyle and Jackie O show.
“Venice hasn’t been hit at all, just up the road in Santa Monica, a lot of my friends live up there and they’ve all been evacuated.
“I’ve got probably about 12 people in my place at the moment, popping in and staying here, stuff like that. A handful of my friends have just lost everything, they had no time, it just happened so quickly.”
Pia Miller
Model Pia Miller and her Hollywood talent agent husband, Patrick Whitesell own a $US 42.9 million home in The Holmby Hills.
She has shared a number of posts on social media regarding the fires, but has not revealed whether she has been impacted directly.
Sacha Strebe
Australian creative, Sacha Strebe, who has a property in Altadena House and counts Jesinta Franklin, Jessica Gomes and Marina Didovich as friends, revealed there is nothing left of her family home.
“Our house. It’s gone. I keep having flashbacks of our memories in this place,” she wrote.
“They feel so crystal clear, like I’m just in a nightmare and I’m going to wake up soon in my bed. But I won’t ever wake up in this beautiful house again. Every single business is gone. So many houses flattened. The neighbourhood is rubble on blackened earth, ash falling from the sky stings our eyes, the smoke inhalation burns our lungs, and the sun strains through the billowing haze casting an eerie orange glow that feels ominous and apoclaytic.”
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