Sydney Confidential Unleashed: Karl’s plan to shrink size of $4.5m luxury home
Today breakfast host Karl Stefanovic and wife Jasmine are seeking amendments to shrink the size of their intended luxury Castlecrag residence.
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Today breakfast host Karl Stefanovic and wife Jasmine are back in the NSW Land and Environment Court, seeking amendments to shrink the size of their intended luxury Castlecrag residence.
They had a win in March 2024 when they got approval for their $4.5m three-storey house with basement. But in last month’s application to the court, they sought to remove the top floor. The new plans would result in four, not five, bedrooms.
A section 34 conciliation court conference is scheduled for April 11 with Willoughby Council, the latest twist in the four-year saga.
The design by Melbourne-based Kennon Architects was originally lodged in March 2023 after the couple paid $3.2m for the bushland property in March 2021.
There are also amendments being sought on its external finishes and internal changes.
The house will have a lift, wine cellar, television equipment room, plus surf, bike and tool storage room.
The site is at its dusty excavation stage with a huge saw cutting through the sandstone on site.
Stefanovic returns to air Monday.
‘I KNOW I’M POLARISING’: SEX WORKER’S RACY DATE AT RANDWICK
Since first being raced in 1866, the Doncaster Mile has had its share of wacky and wonderful stories.
A few years back, it was won by Nettoyer who had a slice of pizza and a glass of champagne after her win in the famous Group 1 mile at Randwick.
But never before has the Doncaster ever seen anything quite like Carly Electric. Electric is the sex worker and stand-up comedian who will be cheering home Iowna Merc, the horse she part-owns and has taken her on a fairytale ride into the $4m Doncaster.
Last year, The Daily Telegraph revealed how Electric was racing’s hottest date and had a unique role as the only sex worker in the Australian horse racing industry.
But she will take a day off work on Saturday when she is trackside at Randwick to cheer on the roughie, which is trained by Bjorn Baker.
“Saturday will be my fun day out at the races, it’s something I have been dreaming about ever since I got into horse ownership,” Electric said.
“I have been in the ownership of about 10 horses and the dream has always been to have a Group 1 horse.
“We always knew this horse was special and he had hectic pace, the only issue has been that he was immature and it has taken him a while to get here.
“I know that I am quite polarising in the horse racing industry. People are either all for it, or they think that people like me shouldn’t be able to own horses, which is a bit wild to me.
“I pay my (training) bills, I go to the races, I am an advocate for women in the horse racing industry.”
Electric, who has branched out into doing stand-up comedy, embarked on horse racing ownership when she spent $500 for a small share of a racehorse in Queensland. Later, she developed a subscription-based tipping service on social media.
Her racing interest will reach fever pitch at Randwick on Saturday, and, just like the name of the horse suggests, she says she will shout herself a Mercedes-Benz if Iowna Merc produces a longshot win.
Iowna Merc, who has earned over $1m in prize money for connections, is rated a $51 chance in the Doncaster.
He will be ridden by Ashley Morgan, the one-time London real estate agent, who won his first Group 1 when scoring on Private Harry in The Galaxy at Rosehill last month.
MARTY’S TV GIG GONE?
The star and producer of Logie Award-winning TV show Have You Been Paying Attention has finally commented on the Marty Sheargold scandal.
Host Tom Gleisner and his Working Dog Productions have been silent since regular guest Sheargold lost his Triple M radio job after making controversial comments about endometriosis and women’s sport.
“That is interesting. I don’t know whether Marty is going to be back this year,” Gleisner told Confidential.
“To be honest with you, we haven’t done our guest schedule but he has certainly upset a lot of people and we’d hate to add any distress to that so we’d have to think very carefully.”
On air on Triple M, Sheargold said: “God, don’t ladies carry on. Jesus Christ, there is no end of it. Honestly, endometriosis, and this is controversial. No, I’m going to say it, it’s controversial. It’s made-up.”
Sheargold, a star of ABC TV comedy Fisk, also made derogatory remarks about the Matildas and women’s sport in general.
Around one million Australians, or one in seven women, suffer from endometriosis, a lifelong chronic and painful illness.
Panel game show Have You Been Paying Attention? has been a huge success since launching in 2013 and has won eight Logie Awards.
Melbourne-based Gleisner, meanwhile, has been in town this week for the premiere of Bloom, which opened at the Sydney Theatre Company on Wednesday.
Known more for his TV and film work, he wrote the musical that is set in an aged care facility and stars Christie Whelan Browne and John Waters.
“I have actually spent a lot of time in and around aged care in the last decade or so, not, I might stress, as a resident,” he said.
“I realised what a fascinating world it was, extraordinary residents there who all have interesting stories to tell, the amazing carers who can make such a difference to someone’s day, it really struck me that there was a story to be told.
“One of the things I was determined to do in writing Bloom was to give the residents, our older characters, a voice, to make them as funny and as flawed as anyone else, because I think all too often in shows the elderly are used as a punchline to a joke, they are just wheeled out for us to laugh at their frailties.”
GUY LEECH: ‘I DON’T WANT TO LIVE TO BE 100’
Former Ironman Guy Leech remains passionate about health and fitness, but says he isn’t interested in living to 100.
“The trick is to live younger longer,” he told Confidential.
The 61-year-old, who emerged on the scene in the early-1980s when he won the title of Australian marathon swimming champion, is launching an online tech platform for longevity programs from leading experts.
“It’s a one-stop shop that provides all the information you need to live long and live well, bringing together a combination of experts on sleep, diabetes, fitness and wellness, so you don’t go down rabbit holes, and it’s called Younger Longer – because that’s my aim,” he said.
Leech, who at 20 took home his first of three Coolangatta Gold titles, retired from professional Ironman and triathlon competitions in 2005, but you can still see him training in his hood around Collaroy, in northern Sydney.
“I’ve always tried to use technology to train and beat my PBs, count my steps and enhance my health, and knowing your speed and your distance, they’re all things that are good motivators for people interested in fitness and I rely on my Garmin watch for that, I like its technology,” he explained.
“I’m 61 now – and I decided that I was going to set these goals around what I wanted to still be able to do in life when I turn 70 – I set 10-year goals that will enable me to still be able a paddle at least 10km on the ocean ski at any time.”
He lives with wife Helen and their two daughters Paloma and Phoenix, who share his passion for fitness.
Nine years ago, he launched Heart180, a company distributing defibrillators after he failed to resuscitate a friend “Chucky” who collapsed from a heart attack after a paddling session on Manly Harbour.
“People don’t know that a defibrillator is really important and so we’ve sent out thousands of defibrillators around Australia from which we save one life every month,” he said.
“I was devastated when we lost Chucky.
“One of my life rules is that every day, some time during the day needs to feel like a holiday, whether it’s playing golf, exercising, reading a book, you need to feel grateful to be alive.”
KARL’S DREAM HOUSE SHRINKS
Today breakfast host Karl Stefanovic and wife Jasmine are back in the NSW Land and Environment Court, seeking amendments to shrink the size of their intended luxury Castlecrag residence.
They had a win in March 2024 when they got approval for their $4.5m three-storey house with basement. But in last month’s application to the court, they sought to remove the top floor. The new plans would result in four, not five, bedrooms.
A section 34 conciliation court conference is scheduled for April 11 with Willoughby Council, the latest twist in the four-year saga.
The design by Melbourne-based Kennon Architects was originally lodged in March 2023 after the couple paid $3.2m for the bushland property in March 2021.
There are also amendments being sought on its external finishes and internal changes.
The house will have a lift, wine cellar, television equipment room, plus surf, bike and tool storage room.
The site is at its dusty excavation stage with a huge saw cutting through the sandstone on site.
Stefanovic returns to air Monday.
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Originally published as Sydney Confidential Unleashed: Karl’s plan to shrink size of $4.5m luxury home
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