It also explains why the episode is not available for catch-up on 7plus.
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Sunday 31 October
Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin
Three-time Olympian snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin & his girlfriend, Ellidy had it all. They were madly in love and were going to start a family, until a freak accident changed everything.
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Update
7NEWS Spotlight: Bubba Chump
A remarkable story of love, loss and miracles
Olympian and world champion snowboarder, Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, 32, tragically lost his life last year while spearfishing in a free diving accident off a reef on the Gold Coast.
As the snowboarding community grieved the loss of a young, popular champion, Chumpy’s long-term partner, Ellidy Vlug, was left devastated. The couple had just bought their dream home on the Gold Coast and were trying for a baby. In an instant, Ellidy had lost the love of her life.
Ellidy and Chumpy had met eight years earlier at a party held by mutual friend, big wave surfer Laura Enever. After Chumpy’s death Laura and Ellidy’s brother Dave came to Ellidy in her darkest moment to suggest posthumous sperm retrieval from Chumpy.
Thirty-seven hours after Chumpy died – and with the consent of his family, a doctor successfully removed viable sperm. Six months later, Ellidy fell pregnant through IVF. She announced her pregnancy in an exclusive interview with 7NEWS Gold Coast presenter, Amanda Abate.
With Ellidy and Chumpy’s baby due to be born any day now, 7NEWS Spotlight celebrates the life of Chumpy, the strength and devotion of Ellidy and the miracle of new life in a special event this Sunday on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Amanda Abate said: “It was an incredible honour to be able to share Ellidy’s news. She was so beautifully honest about a deeply personal and complex story. It still gives me goosebumps.”
7NEWS Spotlight: Bubba Chump presenter Denham Hitchcock spoke with Ellidy, their family and the couple’s friends, including legendary surfer Mick Fanning, over several months, creating a documentary that delivers a heart-warming and fascinating look at love, loss and miracles.
Denham Hitchcock said: “I thought this was going to be a story that would leave me in tears most days, but it turned out to be one of the most uplifting stories I’ve done.
“It’s a love story really, a love story of epic proportions and one that is far from over. It’s a documentary about one extraordinary woman with a vibrant spark for life. It’s about using your time on earth wisely, enjoying the twists in the road, and how no matter what happens, when you find your perfect other half, how they never really leave you.”
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The little girl has been named Minnie Alex, in homage to her late father, with Ellidy announcing the exciting news on Instagram on Thursday afternoon.
Relatives and friends flocked to her Gold Coast home on Thursday with gifts for the new mother who faces the difficult task of raising their little girl alone after Chumpy, 32, tragically drowned while spearfishing in July last year.
Among the visitors was Seven News reporter Denham Hitchcock whose Spotlight documentary about Ellidy’s journey of losing Chumpy to having their baby is set to air on Sunday night.
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Sunday 14 November at 7pm
Singer Adele is at her most candid as she opens up about her real life, true love and weightloss. Plus, Spotlight uncovers a key witness whose shock revelations could put a prince in prison.
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Where have they bought this one from?
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7NEWS Spotlight: Sex, Lies and Audiotape
New evidence will send shockwaves around the world
Prince Andrew is staring down the barrel of a 2022 court date over allegations he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre when she was 17.
He has always vehemently denied the accusations by Giuffre, who claims she met the Duke through disgraced billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged madame Ghislaine Maxwell.
To date the allegations against Prince Andrew have been very vague.
Now, in an explosive 7NEWS Spotlight documentary, a key witness is breaking his silence – and his extraordinary new evidence will send shockwaves around the world.
7NEWS Spotlight travels the world to the US, the UK and Serbia, uncovering new and confronting revelations about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s evil ways.
Between 1999 and 2006, Steve Scully was the communications specialist on Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean Island. One of his tasks was building and maintaining the island’s own cellular network.
Now a key witness in the civil case against the Duke, Scully’s detailed audio interview with 7NEWS Spotlight – alleging he saw Prince Andrew “grinding against” Giuffre on Epstein’s private island – was the last he did on lawyer’s orders.
Walkley Award-winning journalist Ross Coulthart, who leads the investigation, said the significance of what Scully reveals is enormous: “A US court is about to hear evidence for the first time that puts Prince Andrew’s denials of any sexual misconduct under the microscope in a way he clearly never anticipated.
“The Americans are making it clear that no-one is above the law; one of the most senior members of the Royal Family is about to have his credibility gravely challenged.
https://twitter.com/7NewsSpotlight/status/1457911580692074498?s=20
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SMH reports Northern Territory’s director of public prosecutions is preparing to lay charges against Denham Hitchcock, Taylor Auerbach and Seven for contempt. A Seven spokesman said the threat from NT’s department of public prosections was “baseless”, describing it as a “selfish political folly”.
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If it didn’t air in the NT then not sure what their problem is. And no one was travelling because of lockdowns. Seems like an overreach.
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After a five-week trial at NT Supreme Court in early 2022, a jury today found Zachary Wolfe not guilty of murder, as well as the two alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death.
According to Sunday Herald Sun’s Fiona Byrne, Married at First Sight couple Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven will be part of a upcoming Spotlight special on the sometimes rocky and unpredictable road to fame. Melissa and Bryce are parents to twin sons Levi and Tate who were born 10 weeks premature.
Other names to appear in the special include Rowena Wallace, Tony Barber, Melissa Bell and Greg Evans.
UPDATE 3/5: the episode was filmed in Sydney at the end of April.
The only reason he went on the show was for fame. He was hoping it would rocket him into a prime breakfast radio shift, until he became the villain and nobody wanted a piece of him.
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Series returns from next Sunday, continues the following Sunday.
Update:
7NEWS Spotlight: The Fame Game
Fame is empowering, but there is no manual
Fame is a bittersweet game.
Sure, it has its benefits, but it doesn’t shield one from the darker side of a life lived in the public eye.
What happens when the applause fades, the lights go down and the phone calls stop?
This Sunday, 7NEWS Spotlight returns to Channel 7 and 7plus for another epic season as it turns the spotlight on fame in an evening of revelations, laughs, tears and triumph, with a show packed-full of Aussie TV legends.
Hosted by television acting royalty, Home and Away’s Ada Nicodemou and Cameron Daddo, join some of Australia’s greatest-ever entertainers for one of the biggest nights of the year as Spotlight examines fame in all its forms.
A cavalcade of legends including Tony Barber, Rowena Wallace, Greg Evans and Mat Stevenson join some of the most well-known stars who found fame on the reality block, including Brynne Edelsten, Ajay Rochester, Melissa Rawson and Bryce Ruthven, to share their highs and lows of celebrity life.
The stars reveal the glittering excess of the glory days and the dark secrets of fame’s downside – death threats, assaults, drugs, money, crazed fans, terrifying stalkers and navigating the poisonous world of social media and online trolls.
The road to fame can take many twists and turns. In recent years that road has been littered with car crashes thanks to reality television, with ordinary people thrust into the spotlight and unprepared for the repercussions.
Join the biggest names of the entertainment industry as they gather for this not-to-be-missed night of revelations, culminating in the dinner party to end all dinner parties, with one very special moment that will bring you to applause.
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Will be interesting. Such a random pair of hosts though? Cameron and Ada.
Good to see Ada doing something different, but was surprised it was this.
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I didnt watch this from the beginning, but from what ive seen so far, its good.
They had a piece by Peter Timbs of Big Brother 1 fame. He talked about reality tv, the days before “social media stars” and the highs and lows of Aussie stars.
The show then moved to the “sad lows” of some stars like Mark Priestly from All Saints and then had a piece of Dieter Brummer whose highs and lows was talked about. His fame in the 1990s, to the recent passing in recent time.
Cameron Daddo and Ada Nicodemou have been on air briefly from what ive seen.
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Yes, I missed the start too but saw some really good interviews in this. Awkward at dinner party when the two MAFS contestants turned up and none of the real celebrities knew who they were. 
It’s a shame they cut the stuff with Kyal Marsh (Boyd Hoyland) and Ben Nicholas (Stingray Timmins) from Neighbours. It’s supposed to be available on 7plus but I can’t see it there yet. From the preview, those two actors were quite funny and had some very level-headed things to say about their experience with fame.
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Kyal Marsh and Ben Nicholas did appear, but their interview was at the end of the show, and only appeared very very briefly, which was a shame.
The other interviews were great. And the “dinner party” was good too. Rowena Wallace was given her 1983 Most Popular Actress Logie back. As they talked about fame doesn’t always lead to having money all the time.