‘I’ve never felt more sure of anything’: Simone Holtznagel breaks silence over shock split:

Weeks after giving birth to their baby, Simone Holtznagel’s relationship with celebrity trainer Jono Castano was over. She reveals for the first time what happened in the aftermath of their breakup. 

‘We’re both doing so well!’ Simone Holtnagel and daughter, Gia, on set of the new Nala campaign. Picture: Liane Hurvitz

When she was pregnant with her first child, Simone Holtznagel’s thoughts were usually focused on how she’d get through labour.

Never did she envision that five months after giving birth to her daughter Gia, she would suddenly be contending with life as a single parent.

“Obviously this isn’t how I ever planned I would be proceeding,” Holtznagel tells Stellar.

“But we’ve just been surrounded by so much love and support by family and friends. We’re doing so well.”

Earlier this month, Holtznagel’s former partner, influencer and personal trainer Jono Castano, confirmed to a media outlet that the pair were taking a time-out after two years together. They began dating in 2022, months after Castano broke up with his then wife Amy, a fellow influencer who still uses his surname.

Holtznagel remained quiet on news of their split, though she did share a cryptic quote on her Instagram that seemed to nod to a break-up.

Simone Hotznagel and baby Gia in the new campaign for Nala. Picture: Liane Hurvitz

Now, in her first public comments on the situation, Holtznagel is opening up to Stellar.

“I’ve never felt more sure of anything,” she says. “And I know I can do it by myself. It’s unfortunate that I’m mostly having to do it by myself, but I couldn’t think of it any other way, really. What I’m doing just feels very right for me.”

And as she moves forward, the 31-year-old says she has one priority.

“The most important thing to me is that Gia is happy and healthy, and that I’m happy, too,” she explains. “Because I firmly believe that if the mother is unhappy, it’s hard to have a happy child. And I feel like Gia at this point is a reflection of me, as she’s just a very content and happy little bubba.

“I wanted to set an example for my daughter; that’s something that shifted for me. One day I was like, ‘What am I doing? This isn’t right.’ And I would hate if she was ever in this situation. You have to do what is right for you at the end of the day. No matter the number of promises or anything else that people make, when they show you who they are, believe them. Because you can’t change people.”

Since she broke through as a contestant on Australia’s Next Top Model in 2011, Holtznagel has become one of the industry’s most recognisable faces, having gone on to front campaigns for the likes of Guess, and has appeared on reality TV shows including I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! in 2018 and SAS Australia in 2022.

Simone Holtznagel and ex-boyfriend Jono Castano, pictured last year, were regulars on the social scene during their former relationship. Picture: News Corp Australia

‘I’m saying yes to things that align with me.’ Simone Holtznagel, pictured in February when she was pregnant with daughter, Gia. Picture: Richard Dobson

Now she’s returning to work, having recently shot a campaign for a new maternity line from underwear company Nala.

In a series of glamorous photographs taken a month ago, Holtznagel appears both solo and with Gia at her side – often nursing from her breast.

The campaign, which is dubbed Sorry To Offend You, aims to raise awareness and break taboos around women breastfeeding in public. The images are meant to be both defiant and provocative, but also to celebrate motherhood and female empowerment.

“Breastfeeding is a part of life,” Holtznagel says. “I understand why some people might feel a bit uncomfortable to do it in public. I just don’t see it as a taboo.

“It’s the most natural thing, and if anyone has a problem with anybody else breastfeeding in public, then they need to look inwards and figure out why that makes them so uncomfortable.”

Holtznagel reveals to Stellar that her own mum, Margaret, was present on set when she shot the images, both to lend a hand with Gia and offer moral support on a campaign that was, she reasons, “the perfect job back for me as a new mum.

“I think they’re really powerful images, so I hope everyone enjoys them as much as we enjoyed doing it. I feel like I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.

“Obviously you hear from women who breastfeed how lovely it is. It’s the type of thing that – [once] you do it – you ‘get’ it as a sweet bonding moment, and just to know how amazing your body is. If you aren’t able to breastfeed or whatever the case may be, it’s OK.

“As they say, a fed baby is a happy baby. So whether that’s formula, expressed milk in a bottle … whatever works for you is the way it was meant to be. There’s no shame there.”

And while she feels confident in the message that’s conveyed in her first major campaign since giving birth, Holtznagel says she is still easing her way back into more modelling work.

For now, she wants to enjoy as much time with Gia as she can, explaining, “I’m saying yes to things that align with me. I’m at that stage where I’m lucky that I can pick and choose what I’m going to do.”

Read the full interview with Simone Holtnagel inside the latest issue of Stellar. For more from Stellar and Something To Talk About, click here.

Originally published as ‘I’ve never felt more sure of anything’: Simone Holtznagel breaks silence over shock split: