Sad truth about YouTube star Spanian’s new love: As the ex-criminal parades his younger girlfriend after splitting from his wife, we reveal the deep concerns from his camp
He’s the poster boy for Sydney’s eshay subculture – all tracksuits, tough talk and street cred.
Yet Spanian’s latest transformation – and the public debut of a much younger girlfriend – has loyal fans questioning his authenticity.
These days, Spanian – real name Anthony Lees – looks more like a dime-a-dozen Bondi influencer than a bloke who spent 13 years in prison and later made a fortune marketing himself on YouTube as a reformed street philosopher.
The 37-year-old ex-crim has stunned fans with his dramatic new look – including a nose job and a full set of porcelain veneers – prompting longtime loyalists to wonder if he’s had a ‘complete personality transplant’ too.
But it’s not just his appearance turning off his fans. Just weeks ago, Spanian confirmed his split from wife Angela McColl, the mother of his five-month-old son, who has hinted at sharing her side of the story.
He has since debuted his new relationship with 22-year-old Sydney woman Ava Jean Miller, posting a cosy Snapchat photo with the Harbour Bridge glittering behind them.
‘I’m in the news because I have a beautiful new missus,’ Spanian bragged online.
‘I get a girlfriend, I’m in the news. I break up with my ex-wife, I’m in the news. I love that I’m extremely relevant.’
Anthony Lees, who creates content on social media under the name ‘Spanian’, has debuted his youthful new girlfriend (both pictured) after splitting from his wife of two years
Spanian ‘hard-launched’ his new girlfriend Ava Jean Miller on social media
Only a handful of photos showing the couple together have appeared on TikTok and Snapchat
Spanian said in another video he was ‘clearly separated’ from Angela and that it was a simple case of two people changing and ‘fall[ing] out of love’.
‘She thought it would be better if we separated and I lived here, and I did,’ he said.
While he boasts of his ‘extreme’ relevance, not everyone is cheering him on.
Once praised for his gritty authenticity, fans now say Spanian has become ‘unrecognisable’ – both in looks and attitude.
‘He’s had the nose done, the veneers, and now he’s dating someone who looks [so much] younger,’ one fan commented on TikTok, a sentiment echoed across dozens of posts.
‘This isn’t the Spanian people followed. He’s let the fame and money go to his head.’
Others took aim at the age gap.
‘She looks like she just finished Year 12,’ one follower wrote. ‘He needs to leave that poor girl alone, it’s embarrassing.’
Fans have pointed out how drastically Spanian has changed since finding fame. He has a five-month-old baby boy with estranged wife Angela McColl (right), whom he married in 2023
Angela suggested she would talk about her marriage breakdown on social media ‘shortly’
The backlash risks spilling over into his food business, with some fans threatening to boycott his Spanian’s Kebabs chain, which has locations in Sydney and Melbourne.
The image problem couldn’t come at a worse time for Spanian’s Kebabs, which is gearing up to launch on Newtown’s ultra-competitive King Street – a brutal strip where eateries often fail fast, including the site’s previous tenant, Mr Potato.
‘He used to be about the streets – now he’s just another influencer flogging food,’ one critic posted in a popular TikTok comment.
This follows a major setback earlier in the year, when arsonists torched one of his Melbourne trucks just days before its Preston grand opening.
Firefighters were called to the scene after the trailer was doused in accelerant and set on fire.
These days, Spanian looks more like a Bondi influencer than a bloke who spent 13 years in prison and made a fortune marketing himself on YouTube as a reformed street philosopher
Spanian brushed off the attack, claiming it was ‘the biggest turnout we’ve ever had’.
The YouTuber spent 13 years in prison for robbery, assaults and drug offences before reinventing himself as a social media personality with more than a million followers, posting videos about Sydney’s ‘notorious neighbourhoods’ and his streetwise redemption story.
But in the wake of his cosmetic procedures and newfound influencer lifestyle, many of his biggest fans fear he’s lost the raw edge that made him famous in the first place.
‘He was the voice of the streets,’ one wrote. ‘Now he looks like he’s trying to join the cast of Love Island.’
NEW TO DAILY MAIL+? READ MORE GREAT STORIES
The dark side of Duromine: Some doctors prefer it to Ozempic and Mounjaro – but these patients reveal how the drug shattered their lives with terrifying side effects
Secret past of Double Bay’s alleged ‘fake cop’: Failed property developer charged with impersonating AFP had a reputation… LUCY MANLY reveals the skeletons in his closet
Sky News star shaken after hotel brawl with furious Leftist. Plus, Nine CEO hits the roof over deeply personal Sarah Abo rumour – and journos fume about Chalmers’ wife’s freebie: INSIDE MAIL
The new drug obsessions of the posh ‘wines and lines’ mums: They scoff at cocaine now – but these three vices are the talk of the private school gate: JANA HOCKING
RICHARD EDEN: Dark suspicions about Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. As royal insiders dish the dirt, this is what I’m told is the truth about Prince Andrew’s daughters
High society heartbreak as chicken heiress Jess Ingham splits from her second husband Roger Zraika four years after opulent wedding: LUCY MANLY has the full story
I know what’s REALLY behind ‘The Look’ every over-40s woman is obsessed with. Ladies, it’s more than just Botox and a blow dry… AMANDA GOFF
