Sydney exodus: Celebrities who fled city during Covid pandemic
While celebrities flocked to NSW at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sydney’s extended lockdown saw many A-listers flee the city for good.
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Sydney became known as a “mini Hollywood” during the pandemic as A-listers ditched Covid-ravaged Los Angeles for Australia.
From Zac Efron to Isla Fisher, stars flocked to New South Wales where Covid appeared to be under control, however an extended lockdown in June sparked a mass exodus.
Stars began fleeing the city in droves to escape the harsh lockdown.
Here are the celebrities who deserted Sydney during the pandemic.
ISLA FISHER
Hollywood actor Isla Fisher made her debut as Shannon Reed on Home And Away in the early 1990s.
She later trained at a prestigious theatre school in Paris (L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq) before getting her big break in Hollywood on the 2002 film Scooby-Doo.
Last year, Fisher, 45, and her actor husband, Sacha Baron Cohen, 50 left their home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles and permanently relocated to Bondi last year during the pandemic with their three children - Olive, 13, Elula, 10, and Montgomery, six.
After Sydney was plunged into lockdown this year, the couple moved to Fisher’s old hometown Perth for a few months.
It’s unclear if the family will remain in Sydney.
ZAC EFRON
Hollywood heart-throb, Zac Efron, became an overnight sensation after starring in High School Musical in 2006.
The US actor went on to star in several blockbuster films including Baywatch and The Greatest Showman.
Last year, Efron, 34, left California during the Covid-19 pandemic and moved to Byron Bay to escape the glare of Hollywood.
He sold his $7 million home in LA’s star-studded Los Feliz neighbourhood and dropped $2 million on land in the Tweed Valley between Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.
Efron returned to the US in April, after splitting with his model girlfriend Vanessa Valladares where he has been spending time with family and working on new projects.
He still calls Australia home but regularly travels between both countries.
DEBORAH HUTTON
TV presenter, Deborah Hutton, got her start as a model in the 1970s and went on to become a magazine editor before launching her own homewares line.
More than two decades after buying her first property in the Eastern Suburbs, the Foxtel host is leaving in pursuit of a simpler life outside of Sydney.
She has listed her Hamptons-style three-bedroom home in Bronte with a $10m price guide, six years after buying what was then a 1920s freestanding cottage for $3.8m.
Hutton, 59, is now eyeing a move to Wollongong or somewhere no more than “an hour and a bit” outside of Sydney.
“I don’t have to live in Sydney to work so I’m just wanting to get out of the madness,” Hutton said.
“There’s a frenetic energy in Sydney, we’re frantic, we’re all back.
“Back when it started, did you think we were going to be here until October? Like, bullshit.
“There was no way in the world they were going to lock us up that long, but that’s exactly what happened.”
PETE EVANS
Former TV host, Pete Evans, was once a fixture on Sydney’s social scene and at the helm of Hugos Group in the mid 1990s. He later rebranded himself as an expert on all things paleo and became a wellness entrepreneur before joining Channel 7 show My Kitchen Rules as a judge.
In May last year, the Seven Network axed his $800,000 contract after he began peddling conspiracy theories about Covid-19.
Four months later, Evans, 48, and his wife Nicola Robinson sold their five-bedroom Malabar home for $3.366m and moved to Byron Bay.
SAM ARMYTAGE
Former TV presenter, Sam Armytage, was a familiar face on Sunrise for eight years before she quit the show in March.
After getting engaged and tying the knot with businessman, Richard Lavender, last year, the Channel 7 host wanted a slower pace as she settled into married life.
Armytage, 45, sold her North Bondi home, which had a $2.8 million price guide, and moved into Lavender’s 40-hectare property in Bowral.
ABBIE CHATFIELD
Former Brisbane real estate analyst, Abbie Chatfield, made her reality TV debut on Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor two years ago and was left heartbroken after being dumped during the finale.
The outspoken media personality has built a career out of sharing controversial opinions and sponsored posts on social media and she now hosts a podcast and a late-night TV show.
Earlier this year, the Bondi reality star won I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here.
Chatfield, 26, recently purchased a $1.45 million home in the Byron Bay hinterland.
MATTY J AND LAURA BYRNE
Eastern suburbs couple Matthew Johnson and Laura Byrne found love on the fifth season of The Bachelor.
The couple have since welcomed two children - Marlie, two, and Lola, nine months and previously announced their engagement.
They are now set to move out of their Bondi apartment after recently buying a $1.87 million home in the Byron hinterland town of Bangalow.
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