Former Carlton boss Luke Sayers seen in Italy with his wife Cate amid ‘dick pic’ scandal
Luke Sayers and his wife have been spotted together enjoying their Italian hideaway despite the former Carlton boss being embroiled in a “dick pic” scandal. See the exclusive photos and video.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Exclusive: Former Carlton boss Luke Sayers and his wife Cate are sticking together despite a “dick pic” scandal, with the couple spotted returning from a shopping spree in Italy.
The couple refused to speak when they were tracked down at their hideaway in Lucca, northern Italy, this week as they tried to ride out the incident that cost Mr Sayers the Blues presidency.
The pair, who share four daughters, left their lavish home in a silver Land Rover Discovery only to return three hours later by foot armed with numerous bags and items including electrical goods.
They walked briskly to the entrance of their penthouse where they own three expensive apartments – which can be rented for at least $2600 a night – when they were approached by News Corp.
Watch the exclusive video above.
They were not willing to shed any light on what happened to Mr Sayers’ X account that resulted in him getting control back in just 14 minutes after the compromising pic was shared online.
“You said there would be no stone unturned, what are you going to do about it?,” Mr Sayers was asked.
Mr Sayers was dressed in a grey long-sleeved puffer jacket, denim jeans and white trainers and seen carrying a bright yellow shopping bag full of goods from the Italian supermarket chain Esselunga.
Mrs Sayers was wearing a long-sleeved hooded black puffer jacket, long black leggings and black trainers and was holding a boxed red $480 red Kenwood kMix appliance and had keys to the pair’s lavish Italian property in her hands.
They also refused to say who posted the “dick pic” alongside the name of a female executive at a Blues’ sponsor on his now deleted X account.
Sources close to the couple say they were planning to stay together despite the embarrassment the photograph has caused.
Mr Sayers had initially claimed he was “hacked” when the nude image was posted on January 8 and said he would leave “no stone unturned finding out who did this to me and my family.”
However, this week he said his account was “compromised” but insisted he did not post the full frontal image either “deliberately or accidentally”.
Cyber security experts have said the image was likely posted by someone who had access to Mr Sayers’ phone or knowledge of his passwords.
The Sayers’ Italian hideaway was a hive of activity this week, with tradesmen were seen coming and going regularly.
Builders and a blacksmith who spoke outside the 16th century building, said they were working on renovations for two of the Sayers’ three luxury apartments including installing a new kitchen.
One Italian tradie told News Corp they were a “normal” couple and he was completely unaware that Mr Sayers had been engulfed in a “dick pic” scandal back in Australia.
Mr Sayers had been influential in business and political circles, counting former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and former federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg as friends.
He escaped the PwC scandal, where the big four consultancy sold government secrets for profit, which was exposed in a Senate inquiry last year.
Mr Sayers told parliament that he denied any wrongdoing but apologised for the acts that happened under his watch as chief executive.
He left the top-tier firm before the tax scandal broke, setting up his own company that he named Sayers Group, with the backing of billionaire investors including trucking magnate Lindsay Fox.
Angry investors are now considering a name change, with the Sayers brand now linked to the “dick pic” scandal.
Mr Sayers pushed hard for an extension to his tenure as Blues’ president at an annual meeting last year, winning a vote to have his term go beyond the club’s 12-year board limit.
That decision, which sources claim he was advised against, may have cost him dearly as he was forced to step down from the Blues role this week, which he described as the “one of the great honours and privileges of my life.”
The high profile Carlton job intensified the spotlight on the lewd photograph, and the naming of a Bupa executive in the post threatened to derail the health insurer’s $1 million a year club sponsorship.
Mr Sayers has now stepped aside from his top role at Sayers Group, with investors allegedly angry their calls were not returned in the days after the scandal broke.
Sources close to Mr Sayers say that he was expected to spend as many as six months in Italy.
When Carlton takes on Richmond in round 1 in front of 90,000 fans at the MCG on March 13, Mr Sayers is likely to be watching it on Kayo on his laptop instead of rubbing shoulders with the AFL’s elite in the president’s dining room.
Sources who worked with Mr Sayers said he felt at home in Italy, and was always showing off his lavish lifestyle there to the “plebs” at PwC.
Mr Sayers’ holiday home is in Lucca, a historic town dominated by churches and cobblestone streets.
Before making the move, Mr Sayers had taken Australia’s business world by storm.
He had been known as “Mr Teflon” for riding out the PwC scandal, but a “dick pic” turned out to be his Waterloo.
Mr Sayers and his wife only returned to their Lucca property this week after spending days lapping up the European winter.
The Herald Sun this week revealed photographs of the Sayers’ family getaway to the ski fields with their daughters including Bronte and Claudia.
While the Sayers’ were in Lucca on the weekend Bronte uploaded a post in another exotic location with friends drinking Aperol Spritz after last week joining her parents skiing.
The Sayers’ recently sold their luxury seven-bedroom 1886 mansion in Melbourne’s Hawthorn East for $16.5 which features a three-storey tower with 360 degree views, a two-storey pool house next to another pool and an impressive circular driveway.
Lucca is a 30-minute train ride from the famous leaning tower of Pisa.
It was relatively quiet this week with many restaurants and shops closed during the colder weather in Europe’s winter.
The cost of food and drinks are on the cheaper end of European prices, with the popular Italian drink Aperol Spritz costing just €6 (A$16), an espresso coffee €2 (A$3.30), a glass of red wine €3 ($5) and a medium-sized pizza €8.50 (A$14).
In the summer months tourists flock to the Italian mecca but locals say it’s not as popular as other country’s other well-known hot spots including Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast and Lake Como.
It’s a long way from the AFL’s headquarters in Docklands, where this week the AFL’s Integrity Unit announced it had cleared Mr Sayers of any wrongdoing.
The AFL’s synchronised statement, which came out within minutes of statements from Carlton and Mr Sayers, said “the AFL has found, based on the available evidence, that access to Mr Sayers’ X account was compromised, resulting in the posting of the image (i.e. by a person not being Mr Sayers) and tagging of another person.”
Just who did post that picture, and why the female executive was named, remain a mystery to all except Mr and Mrs Sayers.
sophie.elsworth@news.com.au
More Coverage
Originally published as Former Carlton boss Luke Sayers seen in Italy with his wife Cate amid ‘dick pic’ scandal
Troye Sivan’s $1.7m score after move to Melbourne
The Aussie house where the pop star filmed a personal video that’s had over 9 million views, and lived in when he landed a role in a Hollywood film has sold. See how much it went for.
Read more
How Rivers ran dry: The rise and fall of an Aussie retail icon
Its shirts were once worn by Aussie sporting legends and boots by rock god Mick Jagger but Rivers will shut up shop for good in April, ending a long retail history. Where did it fall apart?
Read more