Photo / Mark Mitchell
Wills, Kate and baby George escaped from royal duties while on their April tour and The Diary revealed they were at Wharekauhau Lodge in Wairarapa. The rain bucketed down, and waiting paps with long lenses nestled in the bushes nearby, failed to get the money shot on the picturesque lawn.
May
The Diary
broke the story of the leaked sex video between Warriors' Konrad Hurrell, 22, and Shorty star Teuila Blakely, 39, which prompted the NRL to investigate. The pair had been dating on-and-off. Hurrell posted the vid to his Instagram account which went viral. He copped a $5000 fine from the Warrriors, and had to undergo social media counselling. Blakely lost a lucrative sponsorship deal and copped death threats and ostracism from her Samoan community.
• Ali Pugh secretly got engaged to her muso boyfriend of seven years, Jo Barus, and The Diary announced it first. Ali said she was "blissfully happy" but wanted to keep the news on the down-low.
June
Mona Dotcom made headlines, via this columnist, in an explosive tell-all mag interview about the breakdown of her five-year marriage to Kim Dotcom. She fled the mansion past security in the middle of the night on a golf cart. Dotcom was livid. He had not been told about the interview before publication and lashed back at his ex-wife. "He was very upset and angry," Mona (below) told The Diary, "but I have the right to express my opinion. I don't need his permission. I'm not his princess any more." Three months later she went clubbing with Max Key.
• The Diary broke the news that code-swapper Sonny Bill Williams was likely to make the All Blacks' end-of-year tour after we busted his agent, Khoder Nasser, in a meeting with coach Steve Hansen at Hamilton's Novotel hotel. Nasser confirmed SBW wanted back in to the ABs camp, and well, the rest is history
• Three months after getting married, Adam Parore told The Diary he filed bankruptcy proceedings against his ex, Sally Ridge, to recover the $100,000 court costs she was ordered to pay him after losing her legal battle. Parore lost, and said he didn't want to bankrupt Ridge but force her to pay what the court ordered.
July
This columnist broke the story about RadioLive host Mark Stauffer who said "f***" and "motherf*****" on late-night talback. The network pulled the broadcast from the radio archives, and Stauffer later departed.
The Diary announced TVNZ presenter Greg Boyed went to Switzerland on a two-week vacation and came home married. He secretly tied the knot with Swiss singer songwriter Caroline Chevin in an intimate ceremony in her homeland.
• All the Richie McCaw and Gemma Flynn (below) romance news came via The Diary. She moved in. He moved off to play rugby overseas on tour. He watched her hockey game from the sidelines, and was snapped chatting to her mum. Gem watched his historic UK test with his folks. Then they cavorted around the States on holiday, and later, went to the rugby awards together. Proposal next?
• Former cricket star Chris Cairns took to driving a council truck and water-blasting bus shelters around Auckland for $17 an hour, his BFF Dion Nash told The Diary. He had to provide for his family and took on the manual labour gig, because, well, no other jobs were offered.
August
Mourners at the funeral of Connor Morris included patched gang members, Sir Don McKinnon and Lady Deborah Holmes. Two months later, in her first interview, Millie Elder-Holmes told The Diary she hadn't "spent a night alone" without friends or family since Connor's passing. This column also revealed she'd take to the ring against actress Frankie Adams, and that a gang leader's daughter would be training her.
September
Black Cap Martin Guptill and Radio Hauraki DJ Laura McGoldrick tied the knot, Bevan Chuang discovered a talent for predicting the future and became a psychic, and we revealed Hollywood stars Rachel Wesiz and Michael Fassbender were to film a period drama in Blenheim and Otago.
October
Justin Timberlake and pregnant Jessica Biel took time out in Titirangi and Whatipu with a cliff hike, Miley Cyrus cavorted with alpacas on Waiheke Island, Mona's rescue dog mauled two of Kim's pet chickens from his coop, Eric Watson put his New York penthouse apartment on the market for $31 million and we revealed TVNZ weather presenter Jim Hickey was retiring.
November
Photo / Brett Phibbs
Kiwi action star Karl Urban (above) raised the alarm and saved his Westmere neighbours and their burning house, Lorde's label Universal Music toasted her big win at the Music Awards with an $80,000 bar tab at the after-party, Downton's Lady Cora partied with the All Blacks, Sonny Bill Williams welcomed a daughter named Imaan, and we revealed Aussie rugby pal Israel Folau was in a relationship with Frankie Adams.
December
The Diary announced Israel Dagg married his childhood sweetheart Daisy Aitken in Hawkes Bay, Trevor Mallard and journalist Jane Clifton will tie the knot on Monday at the MP's Wainuiomata residence, All Black Ben Smith celebrated with a superhero-themed bachelor party, and Sir Mark Todd remarried his ex-wife Carolyn.
