Socialite's lawyer husband offers heartbreaking seven-word reply when asked about the split that's the talk of Brighton - as she issues a cryptic statement from Europe
Their marriage split has rocked Brighton's 'Golden Mile' - and now two photos reveal the brutal reality of the break-up the Melbourne elites are all talking about.
Earlier this week, we brought you the news that Gianni Romano and Zana Pali - a pair of lawyers who rose to fame on My Kitchen Rules in 2016 - had broken up.
It is now clear the former couple are living completely separate lives, with Zana - now a property developer and influencer - chasing the European summer with her children, while her estranged husband gets back to work in wintry Melbourne.
We caught up with Gianni - a partner at the law firm Best Hooper - during his lunch break on Wednesday and noticed the father-of-two wasn't wearing his wedding ring.
Sporting a more masculine look compared to his boyish appearance on MKR, he seems to have undergone something of an alpha makeover since the split.
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Gianni Romano and Zana Pali are living completely separate lives after their split. We caught up with Gianni in wintry Melbourne, where he works as a lawyer. Zana is overseas in Europe
Rugged up in all-black, Gianni buttoned up when we asked about his separation
Rugged up in all-black, including a stylish trench coat, Gianni buttoned up when we asked about his separation.
He did not deny splitting from Zana, and when pressed for further details of what happened, simply said: 'I don't want to talk about it.'
Still, the absence of a wedding ring, the fact he no longer follows his wife on social media, and a recent real estate sale all point to the couple calling it quits.
The pair's family home on Brighton's 'Golden Mile' - complete with a basement nightclub and lift access - sold in the middle of last year for about $10million.
The property sits on a stretch of millionaires' row that is a magnet for Victorian socialites, with famous locals including Bec and Chris Judd.
Gianni and Zana made a name for themselves among the neighbourhood's glamorous elites when they moved in with their sons Leo and Romeo, now aged six and five.
Now the boys are overseas with their mother, who has been posting regularly from their luxury travels in Montenegro.
While attending a wedding at the Hyatt Regency resort in the Bay of Kotor, she posted a gallery of photos with a pointed caption: 'In the end all that really matters is family.'
He did not deny splitting from Zana, and when pressed for further details of what happened, simply said: 'I don't want to talk about it'
Still, the absence of a wedding ring, the fact he no longer follows his wife on social media, and a recent real estate sale all point to the couple calling it quits
Sporting a more masculine look compared to his boyish appearance on MKR, he seems to have undergone something of an alpha makeover since the split
Gianni and Zana made a name for themselves among Brighton's glamorous elites when they moved in with their sons Leo and Romeo, now aged six and five
The pair's family home on Brighton's 'Golden Mile' - complete with a basement nightclub and life access - sold in the middle of last year for about $10million
After rising to fame on MKR, Zana transitioned into fashion influencing, while she and Gianni made serious coin in real estate and moved to the Bayside area.
But cracks in their once-picture-perfect family life have started to show, with the pair going so far as to unfollow each other on Instagram.
Furthermore, a cursory glance at Zana and Gianni's respective social media profiles shows plenty of snaps of them with their boys, but none of them as a couple.
They have also abandoned their annual tradition of jetting off on a family holiday to Europe, with Gianni choosing to stay home in Melbourne while Zana, 34, whisked their children away to The Balkans last month.
Like her husband, Zana also appears to have ditched her wedding ring - although she does seem to be wearing some impressive dress rings while in Montenegro.
They have abandoned their annual tradition of jetting off on a family holiday to Europe, with Gianni staying in Melbourne while Zana whisked their children off to The Balkans last month
Zana and Gianni are pictured together on Channel Seven's My Kitchen Rules in 2016
News of the couple's split was all but confirmed last weekend when Zana appeared on a list of 'Melbourne's most eligible bachelorettes', published in the Herald Sun.
Zana was clearly thrilled with the feature, reposting the article on her Instagram on Sunday.
The article is said to be the talk of Bayside, with the social set puzzled that Zana would seemingly announce her separation in such an oblique way.
Zana and Gianni wed in November 2014 on Hayman Island and went on to welcome sons Leo and Romeo in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
The couple's sons are overseas with their mother, who has been posting regularly from their luxury travels in Montenegro
While attending a pre-wedding party at the Hyatt Regency in the Bay of Kotor, she shared a gallery of snaps alongside a rather pointed caption: 'In the end all that really matters is family'
In January last year, the couple listed their six-bedroom palace in Brighton with a staggering price guide of $11million to $12million.
After the house languished on the market for more than three months, they pulled the listing. But last July, they re-listed it with a revised guide of $9.5million-$10.4million.
It was no ordinary mansion, with the architecturally designed two-storey home boasting an underground nightclub, accessed via an elevator, and a walk-in cellar.
The home sold for $10 million last August, with some at first assuming it was another money-making move by Zana and Gianni, who have been involved in real estate development for more than a decade.
