‘I understand the interest’: Nadia Bartel breaks silence on white powder video

The backlash was swift and brutal. Today, Nadia Bartel has broken her silence on that infamous lockdown video for the first time.

It was the misstep that no-one saw coming – one of Australia’s most savvy influencers caught out on the very platform that made her famous, allegedly breaking multiple laws at a time when many people’s emotions were at an all-time high.

Nadia Bartel snorting white powder off a Kmart plate at an illegal party during Melbourne’s harshest lockdown, in September 2021, was – at least for a moment – the four-second footage that stopped a nation.

Now, for the first time, Bartel has discussed the incident, speaking in a Stellar exclusive published this morning.

The 37-year-old took “full responsibility” for her actions at the time – admitting she was “embarrassed and remorseful” – but the backlash was swift, and brutal.

Rumours swirled about the nature of the gathering and how the clip had wound up on social media.

There was also financial fallout – several brands she had once spruiked on Instagram quietly distanced themselves from her, while one of her biggest partnerships issued a statement rebuking her behaviour.

“I’ve never spoken publicly about it. And all of the articles that were written were driven by the media; a lot of it was their own [rumours]. But I understand the interest in it. I understand why they need to write about it,” Bartel told Stellar’s Nadia Salemme.

RELATED: Read Nadia Bartel’s full interview with Stellar

Bartel was filmed snorting white powder off a Kmart plate during Melbourne’s 2021 lockdown. Picture: Instagram

The Henne co-founder has publicly discussed the incident for the first time in a new interview. Picture: Instagram

“And I accept that. I just feel there’s a real, ongoing pursuit of it – still. And that’s what feels very hurtful.”

Bartel, the co-founder of the successful clothing label Henne, said at first she “wanted to tell my story and speak my truth about everything that actually happened”.

But, “as time has passed, I’ve come to a point where I realise – whatever I say, people will have their own opinions, and that’s fine. I just want my actions to speak louder than any words.”

“The social media reaction was very negative towards me; it hurt a lot. What hurt more was the feeling that I’d let people down, disappointed people who I love and whose opinion means the world to me,” she said.

“And also that I let down people [who] look up to me. I’ve got a responsibility to them, so rebuilding that trust – and rebuilding the trust in my inner circle – was my priority.”

Bartel took ‘full responsibility’ for her actions at the time – but the backlash was swift, and brutal. Picture: Instagram

The mother-of-two admitted “there are certain things that can only come from falling in such a really big, public way”.

“I’ve become a lot more nervous and anxious and introverted. I think [it] made me a lot more aware of what matters in life,” she said.

“At the time, I had two choices. I could let it totally ruin my life, hide away, and never show my face again. Or I could focus my attention on what’s actually real and important to me.”

'I could let it totally ruin my life, hide away, and never show my face again …' Picture: Instagram

'Or I could focus my attention on what’s actually real and important to me.' Picture: Instagram

The break she took from Instagram – a platform where she’s garnered a following of more than 533,000 – in the aftermath of the scandal “wasn’t something I purposely thought about”.

“I guess I was just really trying to get through [it]. I didn’t even notice that I had gone quiet. It was such a time for me to reflect on the person I want to be,” Bartel said.

“Having that time off social media did help a lot. [Instagram] can be hard at times. I can be in a really good headspace and then go to social media, and see something that triggers me. I remember when I had my marriage breakdown, I’d see families together, and you feel horrible.”

Bartel and ex-husband Jimmy in June 2019, with the couple abruptly splitting later that year. Picture: Instagram

‘When I had my marriage breakdown, I’d see families together, and you feel horrible.’ Picture: Instagram

Bartel’s seemingly picture perfect marriage to AFL great Jimmy Bartel – with whom she shares sons Aston and Henley – came crashing down in 2019, amid speculation about a trip the Geelong Cats star took to London earlier that year, where his later girlfriend Lauren Mand had been living at the time.

Despite their relationship ending four years ago, Bartel continues to be referred to as a ‘WAG’ – telling Stellar that she “never connected” to the “outdated” term.

“I think it’s implying that your whole identity is based on your partner,” she explained.

“I can’t believe it’s used a lot. Still, today – particularly when it’s given to women who had their own work before they met their partners. I find it interesting that there’s no male equivalent, you know?

“I never thought of myself as a WAG. I guess the title was around and that’s what the media used. I find it interesting when people use that term for me now, when I’m not with [Jimmy] any more. It was never a term that suited me. I never connected to it.”

Read Nadia Bartel’s full interview inside Stellar, out today in The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (South Australia).

Originally published as ‘I understand the interest’: Nadia Bartel breaks silence on white powder video