The FULL story of ‘elbowgate’: How a throwaway line on Sunrise sparked a national debate over what REALLY happened between David Koch and Martha Kalifatidis at the Logies – so who do you believe?
It’s the question that has divided Australia for the past week: Did Martha Kalifatidis really ‘elbow’ David Koch in the ribs on the Logie Awards red carpet?
The Married At First Sight star, 31, strongly denies pushing past Kochie, but the 63-year-old TV host and his Sunrise colleagues insist the ‘clash’ did happen.
As the elbowgate scandal shows no sign of slowing down, Daily Mail Australia can reveal the full story behind 2019’s most unlikely celebrity feud.
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The FULL story of ‘elbowgate’: How a throwaway line on Sunrise brought together warring MAFS stars and sparked a national debate over what REALLY happened between David Koch and Martha Kalifatidis at the Logies – so whose side are you on?
The whole saga started on Monday, when Kochie said live on Sunrise that he was ‘bruised’ after being ‘elbowed’ by Martha on the red carpet at Sunday night’s Logie Awards.
As the breakfast team discussed the events of the previous night, newsreader Natalie Barr branded Martha ‘fierce’ and co-host Samantha Armytage mocked her dwindling ’15 minutes of fame’.
‘Do not get between Martha and the camera!’ sports reporter Mark Beretta joked.
But photos taken by Daily Mail Australia at TV’s night of nights show Kochie metres away from Martha, which makes his version of events seem unlikely.
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An onlooker told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Martha and Michael were two of the last people to arrive and spent over 10 minutes waiting to be photographed.
‘After walking the length of the red carpet, past all of the journalists, they stood to one side until all of the other celebrities had posed and gone inside.
‘When they then headed onto the platform in front of the photographers for their turn, there was nobody else around. Kochie wasn’t there, and he certainly wasn’t within “elbowing” distance.’
The feud continued on Tuesday’s Sunrise, with Sam and Kochie poking fun at a YouTube video Martha had uploaded the previous day, in which she claimed she was being ‘bullied’ by the Channel Seven stars.
During a segment about the horror film It Chapter Two, Sam, 42, jokingly grabbed Kochie’s arm in an attempt to spook him, and he replied: ‘Careful, that’s bullying me! I’m older. I’m an old man!’
‘Don’t muck around with that word!’ Sam responded with a knowing smile.
A timeline to Australia’s most unlikely celebrity feud
17:54: Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli arrive on the Logies red carpet with Kochie (circled) already ahead:
17:56: Kochie stands with the cast of Sunrise as the other MAFS stars begin the red carpet:
17:57: Martha and Michael remain behind the other MAFS cast members doing interviews:
18:21: The couple patiently wait for their allocated time on the media wall:
18:23: Kochie and the Sunrise team finish up on the media wall before heading inside for the ceremony:
18:27: The first batch of MAFS participants reach the media wall:
18:28: Martha and Michael continue to wait for their turn:
18:30: Martha and Michael are the last to be photographed:
When approached for comment outside the Seven studio in Sydney’s Martin Place on Wednesday, a defiant Kochie stuck to his side of the story.
He told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Maybe I put myself in a dangerous position between her and a photographer… and for that I apologise.’
Martha shared another video to Instagram later that day, in which she once again denied ‘assaulting’ Kochie. She also claimed the whole saga was making her ‘stressed and anxious’.
‘[Kochie] just thinks that because I was on a reality TV show that I don’t deserve to get an apology from him or perhaps that I’m beneath him,’ she said.
He’s not backing down! When approached for comment outside the Seven studio in Sydney’s Martin Place on Wednesday, a defiant Kochie stuck to his side of the story
Martha’s boyfriend, Michael Brunelli, has also publicly supported her, saying he was constantly by her side at the Logies and he never saw her ‘elbowing’ Kochie in the ribs.
Meanwhile, the elbowgate scandal has brought the warring factions of the Married At First Sight cast together, with ex-participants showing their support for Martha.
Jules Robinson and Cameron Merchant, who weren’t exactly friends with Martha on the show, told paparazzi at Sydney Airport on Thursday that Kochie had ‘made up’ the whole story.
‘No-one elbowed anyone at the Logies. I don’t think anyone got elbowed. It’s a made-up story,’ Jules, 37, said.
Cameron, 35, added that they felt compelled to defend Martha because ‘we’ve all been in this experience [MAFS] together… it was unique and we’ve all got to support each other’.
Taking a stand: Martha’s boyfriend, Michael Brunelli, has also publicly supported her, saying he was constantly by her side at the Logies and he never saw her ‘elbowing’ Kochie in the ribs
Support: The ‘elbowgate’ scandal has brought the warring factions of the Married At First Sight cast together, with ex-participants including Jules Robinson (pictured) showing their support for Martha
Meanwhile, Sunrise host Sam continued the feud on Thursday morning, taking another swipe at Martha while appearing on Nova 96.9’s Fitzy & Wippa.
She said: ‘Let’s not give it anymore oxygen because [Martha’s] fifteen minutes [of fame] is going on and on.
‘But have you ever been on those red carpets? They’re pushy. And have you ever been on those red carpets with a reality star? Very pushy!’
‘Have you ever been on those red carpets with a reality star? Very pushy!’ Sunrise host Sam continued the feud on Thursday morning, taking another swipe at Martha while appearing on Nova 96.9’s Fitzy & Wippa
There was an unexpected twist in the saga on Friday, when new footage surfaced of Martha on Logies night that appears to support claims she was being ‘pushy’.
In the video recorded at The Star on Sunday evening, Martha leads Michael by the hand through a crowd of revellers, seemingly with little regard for those around her.
At one stage, fellow MAFS star Mike Gunner stops to speak to a unidentified woman and Martha walks straight past them. Michael appears to brush past the pair as he walks by and turns his head.
While it’s hardly a clash of elbowgate proportions, the footage does offer a glimpse into how Martha and Michael were behaving on the night.
Bombshell video: There was an unexpected twist in the saga on Friday, when new footage surfaced of Martha (left) on Logies night that appears to support claims she was being ‘pushy’. Pictured right: Michael Brunelli and Cameron Merchant
Coming through! Footage captured on Sunday evening shows Martha barging through The Star casino complex and holding Michael by the hand, seemingly with little regard for those around her
WHAT IS ‘ELBOWGATE’?
The whole saga began when David ‘Kochie’ Koch told his Sunrise co-hosts on Monday that he was ‘bruised’ after being ‘elbowed’ by Martha on the Logies red carpet.
Kochie and his colleagues Sam Armytage, Natalie Barr and Mark Beretta mocked Martha, saying the incident supposedly happened as she was trying to be photographed.
Martha hit back in a YouTube video on Monday night, denying the incident and calling the Sunrise team ‘bullies’.
Martha’s boyfriend Michael Brunelli also lashed out at the ‘arrogant’ hosts on Tuesday.
What is ‘elbowgate’? The whole saga began when David ‘Kochie’ Koch told his Sunrise co-hosts on Monday that he was ‘bruised’ after being ‘elbowed’ by Martha on the Logies red carpet. Pictured (left to right) Natalie Barr, Sam Armytage, David Koch and Mark Beretta
On Wednesday, Kochie told Daily Mail Australia: ‘All I’ll apologise for is putting myself in a dangerous position between her and a photographer’.
Following Kochie’s refusal to apologise, Martha once again denied ‘assaulting’ him and said the whole saga was causing her ‘stress and anxiety’.
Sam kept the feud going on Thursday, taking another swipe at ‘pushy’ Martha while speaking to Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa.
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