What the Kiwi gossip mags say

BY CHRIS SCHULZ

She didn't do it for money. She didn't do it for the fame. And she certainly didn't do it for the thrill of taking off her clothes and appearing on the website for one of the world's leading nudie mags.

So why has school teacher Rachel Whitwell risked her career by posting topless photos on the website for Australian Penthouse magazine? As part of a deliberate ploy to catch her fiancé - that would be infamous Boobs on Bikes organiser Steve Crow - in a honey trap. Duh.

Problem is, Whitwell's photos made the Sunday papers, her teaching career could be over, and her "very broken" relationship with Crow may never be repaired.

Only an appearance on The Jerry Springer Show could make this sorry saga any better.

Whitwell, a 27-year-old mother-of-one, tells Woman's Day that Crow - the pornographer she has been dating for nearly two years and planned to marry in February - was sent a series of explicit texts and Facebook messages as a test of his commitment.

"Steve is really quite devoted and loyal to me. He's not the man people think he is, and I really loved him," she tells WD. "I wanted to prove to everyone who thinks he's a sleaze that they were wrong about him."

But Crow appeared to fall for the flirting, replying to her messages in kind and setting up a meeting time. Whitwell confronted him, packed up her things and left the same day.

"Nothing good has come out of it, because all it's done is leave me unsure and bitter," says Whitwell. "Posting my pictures on the web was only meant to annoy Steve, because he always says he's not interested in going out with a nude model."

That sounds like the Steve Crow we all know and love.

But in the first sign of journalistic integrity in a gossip mag in, like, forever, WD approaches Crow - a self-described "bald, fat pornographer" - for comment about Whitwell's allegations.

He admits the relationship is "probably irreparable" and says what he did was "monumentally stupid". But he claims he knew it was a trap and only went along with it to find out who was behind it.

"I think the whole concept of the 'honey trap' is despicable and I've said to (Whitwell), 'If you throw the right bait at any fish, you'll catch it," Crow, 52, says.

"Now it's caused a great deal of hurt to the person who's closest to me in the world. I can't be bothered with long-term sulks though. It's history and either we move on or we don't."

Stop the presses - this has all the hallmarks for story of the year.

Elsewhere, New Idea has the first photos of Kiwi model Samantha Burke and her love child with Jude Law. Sophia does indeed seem to have her dad's dimples, but let's hope she didn't inherit his relationship ethics.

"I think she'll be proud to have a father like him," an optimistic Burke tells NI. "She's already quite theatrical - I've noticed she makes a lot of dramatic moves."

Let's hope some of them end of YouTube - alongside the dramatic chipmunk.

But less keen on children is newsreader Carly Flynn. "We're too busy," says TV3's uber-bore about her relationship with hubby Dave. Because of their jobs, the pair often only spend a night or two a week together.

"If we're lucky enough it'll happen when the time is right. Sunrise has been my baby for the last couple of years and I'd like it to continue being my baby for a while longer," Flynn says.

Does that make Oliver Driver your daddy?

Finally, the quote of the week comes from tennis champ Andre Agassi: "There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful - and I've never felt such energy."

No, Agassi isn't talking about winning Wimbledon - he's talking about P, the drug he has admitted taking for about year. Well, he was dating Brooke Shields at the time.

* What do you think of the stars in this week's mags? Post your comments below.

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