Montarna McDonald’s divorce takes a bitter turn as ex brings girlfriend on family holiday with daughters – and the vanishing photo that sparked engagement rumours
A Sydney society break-up has reportedly taken a bitter turn, with PR guru Montarna McDonald reportedly ‘furious’ that her ex-husband Nick Pitt brought his new girlfriend on a family holiday with the former couple’s two young daughters.
Montarna, who is vacationing in Indonesia with her friend Kristina Macourt, is said to be unhappy after insurance lawyer Nick was seen enjoying a tropical getaway in Port Douglas with Ashleigh McDonald last week.
The Daily Mail first reported Nick and Ashleigh’s romance in May. The Pitts split about two years ago after being married for six years and together for a decade.
Nick, a personal injury specialist at Wotton Kearney, shared a joint Instagram post with Ashleigh showing the highlights of their trip.
One photo saw him kissing her on the cheek at the hotel restaurant, while another showed Nick playing with his daughters in the swimming pool.
While there is no suggestion that Nick did anything wrong by bringing his girlfriend on holiday, sources say Montarna – who was reportedly ‘blindsided’ by headlines revealing her ex-husband’s new romance – was less than pleased to see Ashleigh stepping into the family fold.
A society split has reportedly taken a bitter turn, with Montarna McDonald reportedly furious her ex-husband Nick Pitt brought his new girlfriend on a family holiday with their daughters. (Nick and Ashleigh are pictured at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas, last week)
The Pitts split about two years ago after being married for six years and together for a decade
Nick, a personal injury specialist at Wotton Kearney, shared a joint Instagram post with Ashleigh showing the highlights of their holiday. One photo saw him kissing her on the cheek at the hotel restaurant, while another showed Nick playing with his daughters in the pool
A screenshot of a since-expired Instagram post has been circulating through the eastern suburbs after it appeared, at first glance, to show Ashleigh (right) wearing a ring on her wedding finger. Only a low-res artifact of the post remains, though it has been confirmed the ‘ring’ was only an optical illusion
Furthermore, the Mail can reveal that a screenshot of a since-expired Instagram post has been circulating after it appeared, at first glance, to show Ashleigh wearing a ring on her wedding finger.
Insiders say the rumour mill, which has closely tracked the Pitts’ separation ever since Montarna hosted a lavish ‘divorce party’ at Mimi’s in late 2024 attended by a Who’s Who of Sydney society, went into overdrive with speculation that Nick had popped the question during the getaway.
However, it turned out to be a false alarm: the ‘ring’ everyone was talking about and zooming in on wasn’t an engagement ring at all, but simply an optical illusion.
Meanwhile, Montarna has been showcasing her lavish Indonesian holiday online, posting in designer outfits and riding horses along the beach.
Her daughters, having wrapped up their holiday with dad, are expected to join her in Indonesia on Monday, with Montarna sharing a photo a day earlier captioned: ‘Last peaceful morning before the chaos (my children) arrive.’
The latest twist is likely to inflame tensions between Montarna and Nick, whose split has become one of the Emerald City’s most talked-about break-ups.
After calling time on their marriage in 2024, the split became public when Montarna announced her single status at a lavish divorce party at Merivale institution Mimi’s in Coogee, celebrating with friends over an extravagant dinner.
The highlight was a custom cake featuring her maiden name, McDonald, confirming she had ditched her married name, Pitt.
The guest list included leading socialites, among them Caroline Tran, Lou O’Neill and Pilates queen Bernadette Sukkar.
Ashleigh featured in a joint post with Nick documenting their Port Douglas trip, including photos of her strolling down the beach (left) and playing golf (right) at the lavish resort
Montarna, a publicist who runs her own agency, is holidaying in Indonesia. She recently shared photos of herself styled to the nines while posing next to a beachside horse stable
She is holidaying with her friend Kristina Macourt (left) but her children will be joining her soon
Nick’s relationship with Ashleigh hit the headlines in May when they made their public debut
Behind the scenes, however, Montarna and Nick were reportedly making efforts at this time to salvage their relationship. This included attending couples’ counselling in a last-ditch attempt to repair their marriage before ultimately deciding to separate.
They have since focused on co-parenting their two daughters.
Nick’s relationship with entrepreneur Ashleigh first drew attention in May 2026, when the couple made their public debut. At the time, there was some chatter about the fact Ashleigh coincidentally shares a last name with Nick’s former wife.
Ashleigh, the founder and CEO of exclusive membership group 42 Private, is well-known in high-society circles and is said to be a regular at the Royal Hospital for Women Foundation’s annual ladies’ luncheon.
Tellingly, she was absent for this year’s event, while Montarna, who is the founder of successful PR firm The Audience Agency, did attend.
While her new relationship has made her a talking point of late, Ashleigh has long been a fixture of the social scene, having previously been linked to sailor Seve Jarvin
Montarna, who is part of Sydney’s society set, is the founder of PR firm The Audience Agency
Ashleigh is said to be a regular at the Royal Hospital for Women Foundation’s annual ladies’ luncheon. Tellingly, she was absent for this year’s event, while Montarna (left) did attend
Nick and Ashleigh had reportedly been dating for just eight weeks when they were first seen together.
While her new relationship has made her a talking point of late, Ashleigh has long been a fixture of the social scene, having previously been linked to sailor Seve Jarvin.
She also has a unique place in the complex, interconnected world of Sydney’s east.
Ashleigh is the younger sister of Amber Symond (née McDonald), who was the stepmother of one of Montarna’s closest friends, Deborah Symond O’Neil, when Amber was married to Deb’s father, ‘Aussie John’ Symond, from 2016 to 2023.
Following that separation, Amber reverted to the surname of her ex-husband, Patrick Keating, the father of her two children and son of former prime minister Paul Keating.
