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Former socialite turned accused drug trafficker Brynne Edelsten once had a secret love affair with Australian singer and actor Johnny Ruffo, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The romance has come to light in the wake of fresh drug allegations against the one-time reality star, whose life began to unravel after her high-profile marriage to eccentric millionaire doctor Geoffrey Edelsten collapsed in 2014.
According to a source once close to Brynne, the relationship with Ruffo came at a time when she was desperately looking for love - and maybe even a family.
The now 42-year-old met the Home and Away heartthrob at a celebrity event in Melbourne in early 2015 and instantly fell for his boyish good looks and cheeky fun-loving personality.
Over the next two years the friendship blossomed, with the pair meeting secretly away from the glare of the cameras.
'Brynne was besotted with Johnny. To her it was more than just some casual fling,' the source said.
'I think he represented the life that she so desperately wanted. Normality, stability - possibly even kids.
'Whenever he was in town, they would arrange to meet and she was always so excited.
Brynne Edelsten, 42, is pictured with her multi-millionaire ex-husband Geoffrey, to whom she was married from 2009 to 2014
A former friend of the US-born reality TV star has revealed she was romantically involved with Australian singer and actor, Johnny Ruffo (pictured), in 2015
'It was a relationship she fiercely protected. Everything was always clandestine and away from the glare of the public eye.'
Asked whether Edelsten ever declared she was 'in love' with the X-Factor star, the source said she 'never used that word specifically' - but she was optimistic the relationship would progress.
'I can tell you she was immensely fond of Johnny and hoped one day that, in the right circumstances, things would progress to the point where the "L" word might come into play,' they said.
'But Brynne's life was so chaotic at that time that realistically the chance of things moving beyond that infatuation phase was at best slim.
'I'm not sure how serious Johnny was about her. There was talk he was playing the field and that Brynne was just another notch on his belt. So who knows.'
The source said the relationship eventually fizzled out as Brynne grew more distant as her world began to implode.
'They had their moment in the sun but it wasn't to last and Johnny moved on, I think,' they said.
Messages between Edelsten and friends in early 2016 show her discussing her excitement over dates with Johnny Ruffo, who she affectionately called 'JR'
To another friend, she described Ruffo as 'one of the nicest guys' she had ever met
Messages between Edelsten and Ruffo show them discussing plans to meet up in early 2016
A former friend of Edelsten said she was 'besotted' with Ruffo
'That said, I know she'll always have a soft spot for him.
'Some things just aren't meant to be.'
Ruffo, who was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer in 2017, tragically died from the disease at the age of 35 in 2023.
The US-born glamour met Edelsten in Las Vegas before arriving in Australia a year ahead of the former couple's glitzy $3million wedding at Crown Casino.
Their headline-grabbing wedding featured various celebrities and included a speech from Seinfeld star Jason Alexander - despite the actor not even knowing the couple.
The bride then maximised her fame on the red carpet at events, and appearances on TV shows including SAS Australia and Dancing with the Stars.
Edelsten, who was born Brynne Gordon in Oklahoma in the US in 1983, also had her own reality TV show Brynne: My Bedazzled Life.
However, things started going downhill for Brynne following her 2014 divorce to Geoffrey, who died in Melbourne aged 78 in June 2021.
A source once close to Edelsten said she strived to keep her relationship with Ruffo out of the headlines
Ruffo, who played Chris Harrington on Home and Away between 2013 and 2016, died aged 35 of brain cancer in November 2023
In the 12 years since, she has been embroiled in controversies and a string of tumultuous high-profile relationships, including a romance with poet Ian McAllister and a three-month engagement to stand-up comedian Brett Hunter.
Last month, she was arrested and hit with drug trafficking charges after police allegedly found commercial quantities of meth, ketamine and a date rape drug inside her Fitzroy property, in Melbourne's inner city, on December 29.
Officers were tipped off about an alleged smuggling operation in October when one of her co-accused allegedly sent parcels containing meth from Victoria to Tasmania.
She was released on bail on December 30, and fronted Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 7, wearing Gucci reading glasses and clutching a Calvin Klein handbag.
She was supported in court by her US-based mother, Mariel Gordon, who flew 14,000km to deliver a $5,000 cash guarantee to keep her daughter out of custody.
Under the agreement of Brynne's release, she has had to surrender her passport and must report to police three times a week.
If she breaches her bail conditions or flees before answering her charges, then her mum, a former schoolteacher in Arizona, could lose her cash.
Edelsten, who once lived in million-dollar-plus properties in Port Melbourne and the CBD, is now holed up in a halfway-house apartment block, where it is believed the single mum has been raising her three-year-old daughter, Starr.
Brynne Edelsten is pictured arriving to court on Januyary 7 as she faces charges for alleged drug trafficking
The cramped, $300-a-week apartment is near the south end of Brunswick Street next door to commission housing towers, and backs onto an alley used by junkies shoot up.
In April 2022, she was charged with trafficking and possessing ice but she avoided a conviction as she worked her way towards a comeback.
In September, the fallen socialite announced she had a new mystery boyfriend and returned as a judge at the Runway in the Rainforest event at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
However, the latest drug charges and her dwelling have put a clamp on any potential plans to re-enter high society.
She is next due to appear in court on April 21.
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