Chef Pete Evans and Kiwi wife Nicola Robinson trading in their ‘coveted lifestyle’

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Australian chef Pete Evans and Kiwi wife Nicola Robinson Evans (formerly Nicky Watson) have sold their New South Wales wellness retreat Evolve Sanctuary. Photo / via Instagram
THREE KEY FACTS
Kiwi model turned wellness practitioner Nicola Robinson Evans and her Australian chef husband, Pete Evans, are selling their rural northern New South Wales retreat.

Australian news outlets have been reporting on the sale of the Northern Rivers hinterland property Evolve Sanctuary,
which Robinson Evans – formerly known as Nicky Watson – and her husband, a former My Kitchen Rules Australia judge, bought in 2020.

About eight months after it went on the market, the couple secured an offer on the 7.9ha property in Byrrill Creek, the Daily Telegraph reported. It was marketed by Jet Real Estate as, “A rare chance to invest in a property with excellent cash flow and a coveted lifestyle”.
Jet Real Estate told Spy the offer was yet to go unconditional and had a month to do so. The company would not reveal the sale price.
“If this sale does not go through, the interest in the last week has been huge and people are lining up to buy the beautiful property,” said Tania Sheppard, director at Jet Real Estate.
The retreat, which is between Coolangatta and Byron Bay, has seven guest cabins, a two-bedroom home, Pilates and yoga studios, a Japanese tearoom, an acupuncture and massage room, a sauna, a spa and ice bath, and a magnesium pool.
The real estate listing said, “seldom do profitable retreat businesses with significant landholdings such as Evolve Sanctuary change hands,” and called it a place to “reset and reconnect in an immersive natural setting in a lush rainforest environment”.
Evans incorporated his culinary expertise as part of the Evolve experience. Recent events have included a five-day fasting retreat that cost A$2250 ($2456) pp. A men’s retreat is scheduled for this weekend. Nearly sold out, places cost A$1750pp.
The Telegraph reported that the couple paid A$1 million for their forest hideaway in 2020 and have since updated it, investing in infrastructure and accommodation.
The newspaper reported the property was offered with the potential to establish a new business or to enter into a rental arrangement with Evans to continue operating the retreat.
The Telegraph also speculated that the couple won’t be exiting the rural neighbourhood, as they have owned the property next door – a 72ha estate and five-bedroom home – since 2021. It is understood Robinson Evans keeps her beloved horses and other animals on the property.
This week, Robinson Evans posted an Instagram video of her husband cooking spring delights alfresco on their farm, telling her followers they “were emerging from a gloriously restful winter” and “gratefully emerging into Mother Nature’s generous offering of spring bounty”.
The couple began dating in 2011, spending time together in Sydney. In 2016, they were married in an intimate barefoot wedding on a rural northern NSW property.
Outside of his celebrity chef stardom, Evans built up a successful wellness business and the Paleo Pete brand that raised eyebrows with some of his holistic advice. Evans had a fall from grace in 2020, after parting ways with Channel Seven after 10 years as a judge on MKR Australia.
Free from the contractual constraints of mainstream network television, Evans spread misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccines on social media.
In November 2020, a furore engulfed Evans after one of his Instagram posts showed a “black sun” – a symbol associated with Nazi Germany. Retailers removed his cookbooks from shelves because of the backlash.
Evans apologised on social media to “anyone who may have misinterpreted his posts”, or who “perceived that he was promoting hatred”.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, permanently deleted both of Evans’ accounts.
Around that time, Spy reached out to Robinson Evans about her husband’s controversies. She said that after years of experiencing negative headlines, she had switched off “mainstream media”.
“I’m more than happy to share with you that I’m not anti-anything, but rather pro-safe and pro-choice,” said Robinson Evans. “I’m honoured to be sharing an authentic journey with Pete.
“His virtue is beyond what most can comprehend and for me to sit back and watch this all unfold without standing up for him, would be like standing back and witnessing a child or an animal be beaten. He is a kind, loving, honest, generous and open-hearted being. To judge him in any other light is a reflection of the person expressing the judgment.”
Spy has contacted Robinson Evans this week about the couple’s plans once the retreat sale is finalised. She is yet to respond.
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