Just Breathe (31 page)

SYDNEY, Friday – Millionaire businessman Ethan Roxburgh lost his status as Sydney’s most eligible bachelor yesterday when he married former model Dee Nichols in a secluded wedding at a private tropical island resort.

The pair tied the knot in an unconventional beachside ceremony, just metres from the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The bride and groom were barefoot for the nuptials and guests were requested to remove their shoes while they stood under a canopy of palm trees to witness the event.

Roxburgh and Nichols both wore white for the ceremony, Nichols in an antique, Indian silk, ankle-length gown with flowers threaded into her long hair. Roxburgh was without his customary suit in loose linen trousers and open-necked shirt.

The wedding was one of Sydney society’s best kept secrets until three days ago, when rumours of the impending event spread. Resort management said the entire island had been booked for the nuptials only two weeks ago.

Guests were helicoptered in from a nearby island in the two days before the wedding, although it’s believed Nichols herself didn’t arrive until late on the afternoon before, flying in from India, where she recently hosted an exclusive tour of yoga ashrams.

It’s believed the short lead-in to the wedding is in keeping with Nichols’ strict yoga beliefs. The 33-year-old is co-owner of a private Sydney ashram and is a devotee of a little known Eastern philosophy that espouses rigorous daily yoga practice, living in the moment and shunning long-term plans.

Roxburgh, who met Nichols two years ago after she appeared as the ‘yoga girl’ in Health Life Insurance’s TV advertising campaign, has denied being a member of the sect but is believed to practise the exacting yoga.

As celebrity weddings go, the Roxburgh event was on the small side, with the island only able to accommodate 30 visitors at one time. The guest list included Roxburgh family members, including Ethan’s mother Lorraine, sister Lucy, her husband John Zertos, their 10-month-old son Wade, and philanthropist aunt Grace Roxburgh. Nichols’ family members arrived on Wednesday, including her mother Valerie, stepfather Kenneth, sister Amanda and her husband Reece. Their children, Amelia, 12, and Ruby, 10, were flower girls, along with Marlee van Helke, 18 months, the daughter of Nichols’ business partners, Arianne van Helke and Howard Smithen.

Only a small number of business identities and celebrities were invited, including Leonard Frost, Chairman of Health Life Insurance, Pamela Finch, the new Health Life ‘yoga girl’, and fitness clothing manufacturer Graeme Paffe, whose latest range was launched by Nichols three months ago.

After a week-long celebration, the Roxburghs will return to their newly renovated Sydney harbourside home.