The reason behind Simone Holtznagel and Jono Castano split
The reason behind the split of Sydney celebrity couple Simone Holtznagel and Jono Castano has been revealed.
Confidential
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The writing was on the wall for top Australian model Simone Holtznagel and fitness fanatic Jono Castano, who split up nine weeks after the birth of their daughter Gia, according to those close to the pair.
Saturday Confidential hears multiple friends and family members tried to warn well-liked Holtznagel she might clash with Castano, with many claiming his career and social media following could impact on their relationship.
The cracks began to appear less than eight weeks after Gia was born, with Castano jetting to Thailand to post images of himself by the pool.
While 8000 of his followers liked the post and 113 commented, Holtznagel did not. And many can understand why.
Even his followers were critical of the 33-year-old, with one person writing, “Don’t you have a newborn baby? Where’s your girlfriend?”
The answer came when it was revealed late last month the couple went their separate ways in late May 2024.
Holtznagel is currently staying with her newborn baby and family in Wollongong, while Castano remains in Sydney running his gym Acero which he co-founded with his ex-wife Amy, who still takes his surname.
It is believed Holtznagel’s sister Madeleine and long-term boyfriend Justin Hemmes have rallied around the model and “have been an incredible support for her and Gia.”
Castano has addressed the split publicly, however Holtznagel has been quiet, aside from a telling Instagram post last month about prioritising her own happiness which appeared to be a reference to their separation.
The quote read: ‘You shouldn’t feel guilty for moving forward.
“Everyone has limits, and it’s important to look out for your own well-being. It’s okay to choose what’s best for you and move on.
“Prioritising your own happiness and peace is essential, especially when you’ve been patient and understanding for a long time.’
Confidential revealed Castano had a falling out with Rebel Wilson in recent years and others have queried his 889,000 following which many say “aren’t real.”
While this claim was strongly refuted by Castano, according to influencer analysis program Upfluence, just 24 per cent of Castano’s 889,000 followers are believed to be real and his engagement rate is just 0.77 per cent.
This is in comparison to someone like MAFS star Michael Brunelli, who has a 8.23 per cent engagement rate from his 327,000 followers.
Most influencers will have an engagement rate between 1 per cent and 3 per cent, so anything over 3 per cent would be considered above average.
Castano refuted Confidential’s claims at the time, saying, “I’ve been in the fitness industry for 14 years and have been building my online presence for a long time. These claims are baseless and nothing more than gossip.”
We also revealed Wilson contacted Castano to ask him to stop claiming to have been behind her new body.
Holtznagel and Castano first started dating back in 2022, months after Castano confirmed his split from his longtime partner Amy - who still uses his surname.
Castano and Amy were high school sweethearts, but divorced in 2021 after 15 years together.
Holtznagel confirmed she and Castano were expecting their first child together in October last year, and welcomed Gia into the world on Easter Sunday, March 31.
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