video of her snorting white powder off of a Kmart plate at an illegal party in 2021.
The four-second video that appeared to be shared via an accidental Instagram story upload quickly gained traction and became one of the most talked about Aussie influencer blunders in recent years.
ICYMI during September 2021 AKA one of Melbourne’s harshest Covid lockdowns, a video surfaced of Nadia Bartel snorting an unnamed white-powder off of a $1.50 Kmart plate at an illegal house party.
The fashion designer and former wife of AFL star posted a statement to her instagram at that the time of the incident taking “full responsibility” for her actions at the time – admitting she was “embarrassed and remorseful.
The star received brutal backlash and financial fallout after the white powder scandal with many brands distancing themselves from Bartel in the wake of the ordeal.
Now, two years on from the infamous IG whoopsie, Nadia Bartel has finally broken her silence in an exclusive interview with
“I’ve never spoken publicly about it. And all of the articles that were written were driven by the media; a lot of it was their own [rumours]. But I understand the interest in it. I understand why they need to write about it,” Bartel told
“And I accept that. I just feel there’s a real, ongoing pursuit of it – still. And that’s what feels very hurtful.”
Nadia Bartel said during the exclusive interview that at first she “wanted to tell my story and speak my truth about everything that actually happened”.
But, the Henne co-founder quickly realised that “as time has passed, I’ve come to a point where I realise – whatever I say, people will have their own opinions, and that’s fine. I just want my actions to speak louder than any words.”
“The social media reaction was very negative towards me; it hurt a lot. What hurt more was the feeling that I’d let people down, disappointed people who I love and whose opinion means the world to me,” she said.
“And also that I let down people [who] look up to me. I’ve got a responsibility to them, so rebuilding that trust – and rebuilding the trust in my inner circle – was my priority.”
Bartel, who is also a mum-of-two admitted to “there are certain things that can only come from falling in such a really big, public way”.
“I’ve become a lot more nervous and anxious and introverted. I think [it] made me a lot more aware of what matters in life,” she said.
“At the time, I had two choices. I could let it totally ruin my life, hide away, and never show my face again. Or I could focus my attention on what’s actually real and important to me.”
Nadia took a break from her 530k+ Instagram followers in the wake of the scandal but said that it “wasn’t something I purposely thought about”.
“I guess I was just really trying to get through [it]. I didn’t even notice that I had gone quiet. It was such a time for me to reflect on the person I want to be,” Bartel said.
“Having that time off social media did help a lot. [Instagram] can be hard at times. I can be in a really good headspace and then go to social media, and see something that triggers me.”
Nadia definitely wasn’t the first influencer to have a white powder scandal, and she absolutely wasn’t the last.
Whilst she wasn’t charged with any drug offences she was fined $5,452 after the incident.
I would’ve liked to hear more about the $1.50 Kmart plate but I guess you can’t win them all.
You can read the full exclusive interview with Nadia in today’s issue.
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