Former entertainment journalist revealed as German national entering Shane Warne’s van
The identity of woman who breached security by entering a van carrying Shane Warne’s body is a former entertainment writer.
Shane Warne’s body will be returned to Melbourne by private jet despite an offer from Qantas to repatriate the sporting star without charge.
The Australian understands Warne’s family decided on a private charter to avoid an additional flight through Sydney, and after a security breach by a German national who entered a van with Shane Warne’s body.
A Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said the department is assisting Warne’s family to return his body to Australia.
It comes after Barbara Woinke was revealed as the German national, and is a former entertainment and travel writer living in Thailand.
She worked for daily newspapers and magazines such as Instyle, Glamour and Bunte. Before moving to Koh Samui in Thailand, she lived in Berlin, Paris and New York — according to one online German book retailer selling her travel guide to Lake Garda in Northern Italy.
“(Ms Woinke) always has her passport and diving license in her handbag just in case,” the bio reads.
She was the senior entertainment editor of Glamour magazine in 2010, and appears in a black dress in photos on the red carpet of Golden Globe awards in Beverly Hills that year.
A video of Ms Woinke appeared online on Monday, where she is captured holding a bunch of white flowers and talking to the driver of a van with Warne’s body inside.
Thai police confirmed her identity after she was allowed to spend about 40 seconds alone in the back of the van with his body. Warne’s body was being transported on a ferry from Koh Samui to a Thai hospital for an autopsy.
A video posted to YouTube in September last year shows Ms Woinke in Koh Samui promoting a tourism networking group called Skal International.
“Hello, I’m Barbara Woinke. I’m originally from Munich in Germany and here on Koh Samui in Thailand I am part of the membership committee of Skal Koh Samui,” she said.
“I must say that Skal is the most amazing network group I have ever known. Even though we are working the same industry it is never a sense of competition, it is rather the opposite.”
A bio posted online by another employer — Kamalaya Wellness resort and health spa retreat — reported she managed public relations for the resort in 2020.
It said she was a former stewardess for German airline Lufthansa where she served high profile personalities and also interviewed big names in the entertainment world.
“Barbara has served the late Princess Diana … and Elizabeth Taylor and interviewed many names like John Travolta, Madonna, Lionel Richie, Patrick Bruel, Mariah Carey and Udo Jurgens,” the bio read.
“Her life wisdom is ‘Das Nein ist Dir sicher’ … which translates to ‘the no is granted’ meaning that you should always try and not automatically assume that the answer is no.
“In her down time she loves to watch the old time classic ‘My Fair Lady’ with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn and recently ‘The Good Place’ with Ted Danson and Kristen Bell on Netflix.”
Ms Woinke did not respond to a request for comment. After The Australian sent her a message through LinkedIn, she deleted her account.
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