Wife dumps ex-AFL boss Luke Sayers after lewd photo scandal

Former Carlton president Luke Sayers has reportedly separated from his wife following a lewd picture scandal that prompted his resignation from the AFL club.

Former Carlton president Luke Sayers has reportedly separated from his wife following a lewd photo scandal that prompted his resignation from the AFL club.

The Herald Sun has reported that a Sayers family friend confirmed that Cate Sayers left her embattled husband to prioritise their children following the publication of a graphic sexual image in January.

“The media coverage earlier this year was very challenging,” the friend said. “Cate is a strong person, but also a realist.

“She has understandably prioritised protecting the family. Now she knows it is the right time for a fresh start.”

The news follows reports of Mr Sayers dining with a mysterious blonde woman at Melbourne’s Geppetto Trattoria earlier this week.

Former Carlton boss Luke Sayers dines at Geppetto restaurant in Melbourne with a blonde companion.

A video captured the pair clinking glasses at a secluded table near the restaurant’s rear staircase. The woman, dressed in a brown trench coat, was seen leaving with Mr Sayers after spending more than two hours inside.

Sources have also told the Herald Sun that Mr Sayers has put a deposit down on a luxury inner-city bachelor pad in a building where apartments regularly sell for more than $10m.

The estranged couple, who share four daughters, had already sold their 1880s mansion in Hawthorn East, known as Strathnaver, before Christmas.

The property was listed at $16.5m and was sold prior to Mr Sayers’ involvement in the public scandal in January, after a photograph of a man’s genitalia was posted from his X (formerly Twitter) account.

The pair were seen clinking glasses at the Melbourne restaurant.

The post, which tagged a senior female staff member at one of Carlton’s major sponsors, Bupa, prompted an investigation by the AFL’s integrity unit.

Mr Sayers vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in determining how the image was uploaded to his account while he was at his holiday home in Lucca, Italy.