The Scoop: Latest gossip and news from across Qld
Radio queen Robin Bailey is taking another big step in her career but admits this one comes with some big risks. WE’VE GOT THE SCOOP
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Brisbane radio queen Robin Bailey has confirmed her debut book is just days away from being handed to the publisher, with editing under way in London ahead of a release through HarperCollins Australia.
The KIIS97.3 breakfast host shared the update on social media this week, posting a snap of her editor’s laptop in a London writing room and revealing the final draft will be delivered to the publisher next week.
“This has been 10 years in the making and I’m both proud and terrified of it being released,” she wrote. “But this is our story, and my boys and I have been honest and raw in telling our truth.”
The deeply personal manuscript, which Bailey previously admitted could spark “court cases”, explores her journey through grief, single parenting and raising teenage boys.
“I’m sure there are people who would want to come after me with this book,” she told co-host Kip Wightman last year.
While no official release date has been confirmed, Bailey teased that a Mother’s Day 2026 release is likely. When asked what the title will be, she replied she’s “still working on it.”
Model’s career off the chain
Gold Coast model Evie McClelland has cemented her place on the global stage after strutting the runway at the glittery and prestigious Miami Swim Week, the hottest ticket in the swimwear modelling world.
Now based in Los Angeles, McClelland dazzled onlookers as she modelled for several high-end swimwear brands throughout the revealing fashion extravaganza, which wrapped up last week.
McClelland, who was discovered at a shopping centre in 2015, took to social media to reflect on the milestone gig, revealing she powered through despite a serious foot injury.
“And that’s a wrap Miami Swim Week! Despite a horrible foot injury, grateful I still had the opportunity to walk so many amazing brands,” she wrote.
Her standout moment came in a jaw-dropping metallic look by designer Laurel Dewitt, a gold bikini adorned with cascading chains and crystals. McClelland joins a star-studded list of runway names, with Megan Thee Stallion, Ilona Maher and Alix Earle also spotted.
Hollywood titan’s in superfan selfie
British-American actor Delroy Lindo has been spotted out and about on the Gold Coast amid filming commitments for Godzilla v Kong, the latest instalment in the Monsterverse franchise being shot on the Glitter Strip.
Lindo, who starred in films including Malcolm X and The Cider House Rules (alongside Michael Caine and Charlize Theron), was seen soaking up the action at the Gold Coast Titans home game against the Melbourne Storm at Cbus Stadium last weekend. Prominent Coast lawyer and self-confessed Lindo fanboy Ron Behlau was at the game and sidled up to the actor for a selfie.
“I told him I loved him in Get Shorty and Malcolm X and he said ‘God bless you my brother’,” said Behlau, who proudly posted the evidence to Instagram. “He told me he was filming on the Coast and was gracious enough to offer me a fan pic.”
Lindo is among a star-studded cast for the film, which will also feature Sam Neill and Kaitlyn Dever.
Stone hosts RizeUp gala
Former star Channel 7 reporter turned political operative Bianca Stone is getting back on the presenting tools for a gig close to her heart.
Stone was a Queensland reporter for Sunrise before making a close but unsuccessful tilt for ex-housing minister Meaghan Scanlon’s Gold Coast seat of Gaven at last year’s state election.
The LNP rewarded her effort and expertise with a job as chief of staff to Police Minister Dan Purdie, but Stone has lost none of her polish behind the mic.
She has been chosen by domestic violence charity RizeUp, of which she is an ambassador, to co-host its 10th birthday gala at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on August 2. Stone, who will share the stage with fellow ambassador Ali Daddo, has been spruiking the event on socials to help boost ticket sales to benefit RizeUp’s “life-changing” work. “It’s going to be a night to remember – think glam, dancing and heart,” she told her followers.
Sharks on set
Jai Courtney has revealed how wild things got filming his new shark thriller, Dangerous Animals, off Queensland’s coast ahead of its release in cinemas next week, but it’s not his first brush with trouble north of the border.
The proud New South Welshman admitted he still has the letters “QLD” inked on his skin, a tattoo Margot Robbie gave him on the set of Suicide Squad after losing a bet.
“It’s probably the one I regret the most … but I don’t believe in tattoo removal,” Courtney said, adding he was happy to see Queensland lose game one of the 2025 State of Origin.
But interstate rivalries were the least of his worries on Dangerous Animals, filmed almost entirely on open ocean near the Gold Coast and Stradbroke Island. Courtney, who plays Tucker, a charming but deranged captain who feeds victims to sharks, said the shoot was uniquely intense.
“We had a visit one day from a bull shark, who, you know, no one got hurt but, but he certainly let us know he was there,” Courtney revealed. “And it changed the way we were filming.”
When he first read the script, he assumed the shoot would be done in a tank.
“I was immediately struck with fear at that moment, not of sharks, but of like, seasickness,” he said.
“I’ve been seasick before. It’s like the worst feeling on Earth, especially when you can’t get to land.”
Liam Greinke, a rising Brisbane actor who plays one of Tucker’s doomed shark tour customers, said the conditions were far from anything he’d experienced on a set before.
“Honestly, we were out in all the elements,” he said. “The Workplace Health and Safety Officer definitely had their work cut out for them. I found being a little bit seasick kind of helped to get you to be present, and just focusing on trying not to be sick, I guess.”
The boat was moored near Jumpinpin, a well-known fishing spot among locals where the occasional shark sighting isn’t uncommon.
“Where there’s food, you know, you’ll get the apex predators,” Greinke said. “I wish I didn’t know that going into it.”
Greinke recalled one of the film’s most intense shoot days, spending 45 minutes submerged in a pool with co-star Ella Newton for a cage diving scene.
“We were underwater for about 45 minutes,” he said, “trying to take directions and cues from this megaphone underwater, almost like synchronised swimmers … it was pretty full-on,” he said.
Despite the challenges, both actors praised Queensland as a filming location, saying the setting added an unmatched realism to the production.
“I love it. I love it up there. I love the crews. I love the people. I love the hospitality,” Courtney said. “It’s one of my favourite places in the world to work.”
Dangerous Animals hits Australian cinemas June 12.
Originally published as The Scoop: Latest gossip and news from across Qld
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