Adelaide food bloggers hit out at content creators who support Nina chef Leonardo Moreira Loureiro, following assault guilty plea
Adelaide content creators have slammed fellow influencers for continuing to promote a celebrity chef who admitted to violently abusing his ex-partner.
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Adelaide content creators have slammed fellow influencers for continuing to promote a celebrity chef who admitted to violently abusing his ex-partner.
Sophie Miller from The Streets of Adelaide, and Heidi Ioannou from The Hungry Heidi, are among those who have called out their influencer peers for supporting chef Leonardo Moreira Loureiro and his top city restaurant Nina, with promotional videos and content.
Mr Moreira Loureiro pleaded guilty last week to one count of aggravated assault without a weapon, in relation to a July 2024 incident with his former partner, food blogger Brenda Loveday.
The offence was aggravated by the fact he was knowingly in or previously in a relationship with her.
A second count of the charge, and one of choking, suffocating or strangling a person in a domestic setting, was withdrawn by prosecutors.
Ms Miller, who has over 40,000 TikTok followers and almost 80,000 Instagram followers, said she was “outraged” by fellow content creators who posted videos over the weekend supporting the venue co-owned by Mr Moreira Loureiro.
“Imagine being an influencer and using your power and privilege to support a man who has pleaded guilty to violence against a woman?” Ms Miller said in a video posted on TikTok.
“I cannot believe this is happening in 2025 and this is happening in Adelaide.
“I am shaking with rage. This makes me so sad and disappointed. I have met the victim twice so I might be biased but I believe women who have been assaulted. Especially when the person who has assaulted them, has pleaded guilty to assaulting them. I cannot believe this.”
Ms Miller didn’t directly name Mr Moreira Loureiro or the restaurant but urged her followers to Google the court case.
Ms Ioannou said the situation was “absolutely disgusting” in a comment on Ms Miller’s TikTok video.
“Wild that he gets to continue operating his restaurant like nothing happened!” she wrote.
Other people also shared their displeasure in comments on Ms Miller’s TikTok post.
“Loved Nina’s was planning going back there just for their oysters, not anymore, as someone who’s gone through DV I cannot fathom supporting a guilty person’s restaurant,” wrote Scarlett.
It comes as Ms Loveday responded to a social media post by Mr Moreira Loureiro which said the court outcome was a deal “done based on FACTS”.
“I cannot bite my tongue. I’m furious and sickened that this is the response from a man who pleaded guilty to domestic violence after nine months of denying all allegations,” Ms Loveday, who runs food blog and social media page Freaky Feeds, wrote on Instagram on the weekend.
Mr Moreira Loureiro was remanded on continuing bail, and the matter will return to court in June, where Ms Loveday will have the opportunity to provide a victim impact statement.
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Originally published as Adelaide food bloggers hit out at content creators who support Nina chef Leonardo Moreira Loureiro, following assault guilty plea
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