One of the topless waitresses at the centre of the Sydney Swans hotel scandal has issued a supportive message to the WAGs of the high-profile players involved.
The stripper, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has faced mounting criticism since breaking her silence in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail last week.
During that interview, she revealed how her name had been leaked online, leading to her receiving harassment and abuse from angry Swans fans.
Now, she has offered a message of sympathy to the players’ partners, saying the intense public scrutiny surrounding the scandal has been equally ‘horrible’ for them.
Five players were stood down after it was revealed they held a wild private party in their room at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday, August 17, following their victory over Essendon at the nearby MCG.
Three women subsequently made police reports about inappropriate behaviour.
One of the topless waitresses at the centre of the Sydney Swans hotel scandal has issued a supportive message to the WAGs of the high-profile players involved. (Stock image)
The stripper has offered a message of sympathy to the players’ partners, saying the intense public scrutiny surrounding the scandal has been equally ‘horrible’ for them. (Pictured: Isaac Heeney and Steffie Waters)
Four of the five players are in relationships, with only Heeney’s fiancée Steffie Waters being pictured since the fallout after she fled to Noosa to stay with family. (Pictured in Noosa)
The club has since stood down Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon for the remainder of the AFL season, a decision that is separate from the Victoria Police probe into an alleged sexual assault.
The Daily Mail does not suggest that any of the named Swans players are under police investigation or involved in any wrongdoing alleged by the women.
Four of the five players are in relationships, with only Heeney’s fiancée Steffie Waters being pictured since the fallout after she fled to Noosa to stay with family.
Heeney is believed to have stayed behind in Sydney.
Waters was seen in the Queensland tourist town on Friday without her engagement ring, looking visibly upset as she took a phone call.
Friends of the couple deny they have broken up, with a source telling The Daily Telegraph that her ring was coincidentally being repaired by her jeweller.
After the Daily Mail published exclusive photos of Waters in distress, one of the strippers linked to the hotel incident decided to speak out.
She offered her genuine concern for Waters, who has faced brutal public backlash amid the intense scrutiny surrounding the scandal, and for the other WAGs.
Five players were stood down after it was revealed they held a wild private party in their room at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel (pictured) in the early hours of Monday, August 17
Waters has taken a break from posting to her usually active profile and has deleted the Instagram account dedicated to her ‘dream home’ renovation with Heeney (pictured on site)
Waters made a low-key return to social media this week. On Tuesday morning, her sister posted this black-and-white photo of the WAG spending time with her nephews
‘I feel for her,’ she said.
‘This would be horrible for her and I feel for every woman involved, especially us [the dancers].’
She added that seeing the endless headlines about the hotel controversy ‘would be heartbreaking’, adding simply: ‘The poor girl.’
Of the Swans Five who are in relationships, Heeney’s romance with Waters is arguably the most high-profile, with the couple often stepping out together at glitzy events.
Heeney would often speak about Waters in interviews, including a Channel Seven sit-down with Hamish McLachlan recorded days before the hotel incident that will ‘never see the light of day’, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Waters made a low-key return to social media this week after taking a break from posting to her usually active profile and deleting the Instagram account dedicated to her ‘dream home’ renovation with Heeney.
On Tuesday morning, her sister posted a black-and-white photo of the WAG spending time with her nephews.
‘Kids adore Aunty S,’ the sister wrote over the image of Waters holding the children.
Of the Swans Five who are in relationships, Heeney’s romance with Waters is arguably the most high-profile, with the couple often stepping out together at glitzy events
Waters was seen looking stressed as she paced barefoot through the streets of Noosa on Friday (left), before her mood lightened as she headed off to the beach (right)
She was pictured sitting on the floor of the family’s living room in Noosa while dressed casually in a black singlet and black jeans with Ugg Boots.
On Sunday, Swans officials denied rumours Waters was spotted in the Pullman hotel lobby at about the same time the strippers made their first complaints to senior staff.
There had been chatter that Waters was in Melbourne at the time to attend the MCG game, which saw the Swans defeat the hapless Bombers by 36 points, securing them second spot on the ladder and guaranteeing a home qualifying final.
Claims that Waters arrived at the hotel while coach Dean Cox was speaking with the three women had become one of the most talked-about rumours circulating among AFL ‘insiders’ over the weekend.
However, the Swans dismissed the report as false, placing it in the same category as other pieces of purported ‘inside information’ that have circulated online in recent days, including a debunked image of a young woman with a facial injury allegedly sustained in the hotel room.
That viral image was actually an unrelated photo from a UK tabloid months prior.
