Geoff Huegill and wife Sara have announced that after 13 years together they will be parting ways.
Taking to Instagram, Geoff released a statement that read: “It’s with heavy heart that after 13 years together Sara and I have made the decision to amicably separate.
“We continue to remain friends as our focus will always be about providing a positive, loving and beautiful future for our girls.”
The Australian Olympian also captioned: “A special thanks to those who continue to support us through this next chapter of our lives.”
The past year has been tumultuous for Sara, who first faced accusations of shoplifting and then was embroiled in a PR scandal that saw her “rip off” small businesses around Australia.
In March, Sara was arrested after allegedly stealing a pair of leather pants worth $2,500 from a luxury Byron Bay boutique.
The publicist allegedly placed the pants in her handbag and walked out of the store without paying. A staff member followed her down the street for 200m before flagging down two police officers who arrested her.
She was later released on bailed charged with shoplifting.
In June, A Current Affair investigated deals Sara had been making with multiple small businesses around the country.
Small business owner Allie told 9 News she was frustrated by a contract she had signed with Sara and her PR business ROW A PR.
In exchange for an upfront payment of $3300, Sara would apparently use her PR contacts and industry insiders to help promote Allie’s swimwear retail website, I Dream of Bikini.
Weeks into her three-month contract, almost all of the promised work had not been done.
Allie said, “I started to think, maybe I’ve wasted my money.”
At the conclusion of the contract, Allie saw no results for her investment which forced her to take Sara to court. She claimed she asked Sara for a full refund, but didn’t hear back from her.
The investigation discovered four other businesses with similar stories.
According to the reports, Sara would offer business owner’s a contract, usually for two or three months, and outline the kind of PR work she could do for the brand, but the money always had to be paid upfront.
Jay Silvester and Daniel LeShak met Geoff and Sara while selling their health drink BB Unleash at their local markets, 9 News also reported at the time.
Sara emailed them the next day with an offer to do their PR work.
Daniel told 9 News,”‘The main thing was obviously her contact list, there was about 20 people ranging from swimmers to other sport celebrities, models etc.”
The pair quickly realised Sara was not going to deliver.
“We have no evidence that she did anything for us other than a photo of our bottles up against a wall with a white bag behind it,” Jay said.
A business search done by ACA of Sara revealed that the PR agent’s company, ROW A PR PTY LTD, had been deregistered since November 2016 and her ABN had been cancelled in August of 2017.
ASIC had been contacted and were making inquiries.
Sara is yet to release a comment on her split.
