Pip Edwards confirms new romance with disgraced businessman as they pack on the PDA in New York – after he quit his high-flying job when shock video emerged of him smoking a glass pipe
Pip Edwards has seemingly confirmed her new romance with disgraced multimillionaire businessman Geoff Bainbridge, 52, during a very cosy outing in New York over the weekend.
The Aussie fashion designer, 44, has been spending time in the US in recent days where she started her new role with Aussie label Ksubi after stepping down from her activewear brand P.E Nation.
Wealthy executive and father-of-four Bainbridge has joined Edwards on the the trip, and the pair appeared to officially debut their romance when they packed on the PDA in Soho on Sunday evening.
Bainbridge made headlines over two years ago when he resigned as the chief executive of alcohol business Lark Distilling after he was caught on video smoking from a glass pipe.
He is a prominent early investor of popular burger chain Grill’d, but left the business in 2015, shortly before the video was filmed.
A source confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Edwards and Bainbridge are ‘dating’ and their latest sighting comes just weeks after he was spotted leaving Edwards’ house in Sydney last month.
During their New York outing, the pair appeared to be very comfortable in each other’s company as they cuddled up to one another and shared a kiss on the cheek.
Edwards wrapped her arm around his shoulders as they shared a cosy moment outside The Corner Deli, while they were also seen strolling hand-in-hand together.
Pip Edwards has seemingly confirmed her new romance with disgraced multimillionaire businessman Geoff Bainbridge, 52, during a very cosy outing in New York over the weekend.
Wealthy executive and father-of-four Bainbridge has joined Edwards on in the US as she begins her role as Creative Director at Ksubi and the pair appeared to officially debut their romance when they packed on the PDA in Soho on Sunday evening
Bainbridge made headlines over two years ago when he resigned as the chief executive of alcohol business Lark Distilling after he was caught on video smoking from a glass pipe
Bainbridge kissed Pip’s hands as they walked the streets of New York
The entrepreneur showed off her incredible figure in a cropped grey T-shirt and wide leg navy trousers, which she styled with white trainers.
She accessorised her sporty look with a gold chain necklace and swept her golden tresses back into a ponytail during the outing.
Bainbridge looked smitten with Edwards as he kissed her hand.
The Melbourne-based businessman cut a laidback figure in a grey jumper and baggy black shorts, which he teamed with white trainers and a baseball cap.
The couple were seen snapping cosy selfies together as they didn’t shy away from showing their affections for one another during the trip.
It comes just two weeks after Bainbridge was spotted leaving Edwards’ Rose Bay home at the end of August, when she arrived back from her European getaway.
A source confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Pip and Bainbridge are ‘dating’ and their latest sighting comes just weeks after he was spotted leaving Edwards’ house in Sydney last month
The pair are yet to publicly confirm their relationship and it is not known when they began dating.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Edwards’ representatives for comment.
Edwards was last involved in a high-profile relationship with cricketer Michael Clarke, but the couple went their separate ways in early 2021.
In January 2023, Clarke was accused by his then-girlfriend Jade Yarbrough of sleeping with his ex Pip the month before in a public bust-up in a Noosa park, which was caught on video.
The pair appeared to be very happy in each other’s company as they cuddled up to one another and shared a kiss on the cheek
Edwards wrapped her arm around his shoulders as they shared a cosy moment outside The Corner Deli
A remorseful Clarke later took full responsibility for what happened while Pip claimed she had been ‘blatantly lied to’ at the time.
Meanwhile, Bainbridge was famously caught on video smoking from a glass pipe in February 2022.
He resigned as chief executive of alcohol business Lark Distilling after the video, which he claimed was filmed in 2015 after a night out in south-east Asia, went public.
The couple were seen snapping cosy selfies together as they didn’t shy away from showing their affections for one another during the trip
Edwards showed off her incredible figure in a cropped grey T-shirt and wide leg navy trousers, which she styled with white trainers
Bainbridge looked smitten with Edwards as he kissed her hand
At the time, he claimed he was the victim of an extortion attempt, in which blackmailers threatened to release the video publicly unless he paid them off.
‘The next morning, when Bainbridge awoke to discover the two strange men, he soon realised it was a shakedown,’ The Age newspaper reported at the time. ‘They threatened to expose him.’
However, doubt was later cast on his claims, with The Australian publishing photos it said indicated the video was not filmed in Asia seven years ago but in the bedroom of his $3million Melbourne home, which he had only purchased 18 months earlier.
Real estate photographs of Bainbridge’s home in Middle Park then showed it shares the same unique light fitting and white wooden Venetian blinds as seen in the video.
Other distinctive features such as the room’s ornate ceiling décor and a distinctive bedhead were also seen in several unpublished videos obtained by The Australian.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that Bainbridge was not telling the truth, simply that a discrepancy was raised.
When asked about the apparent discrepancy in his story, Bainbridge told The Australian ‘no comment’ at the time.
Bainbridge purchased the home in the affluent Bayside suburb of Middle Park for $3.46million in July 2020, which was settled the following month.
He quit as managing director of the Lark Distillery in February 2022 after the video emerged.
He left his post at the whiskey distillery business ‘effective immediately to enable him to manage a personal matter’.
‘Ultimately, I put myself in a situation I shouldn’t have been in,’ he told Nine newspapers at the time.
‘I’m a victim of extortion but that wouldn’t have occurred without my poor judgment. I am deeply remorseful for my own actions.’
Bainbridge told Nine he was not a typical user of the drug ice. The clip was filmed after Bainbridge ended his association with Grill’d.
In the footage, the now-former chief executive was seen wearing underwear while saying: ‘Let’s get f***ing high together baby. I’d smoke meth and just blow it all over your c*** babe […] I’m so high, I’m so f***ing horny.’
Bainbridge claimed he woke up after a night of partying to find two strange men showing him the footage of him with the pipe.
‘I was just horrified. You are like, ”what else happened? What else don’t I remember? How am I going to explain this to anyone?”’ he told the Herald.
‘The reality for me is there is footage of me consuming class-A drugs in a foreign country. That has serious ramifications.’
She accessorised her sporty look with a gold chain necklace and swept her golden tresses back into a ponytail during the outing
Meanwhile, Melbourne-based businessman Bainbridge cut a laidback figure in a grey jumper and baggy black shorts, which he teamed with white trainers and a baseball cap
He claimed the two men then threatened to expose the footage, and demanded money from Bainbridge, prompting him to give them $3,000.
A few years later they came back again demanding more money and Bainbridge claimed he gave them another $9,000 over 14 consecutive payments.
WhatsApp messages supposedly sent from the men to Bainbridge show them making threats to show the footage to his four children and the media.
The pair appeared very comfortable in each other’s company as they stopped off for some drinks during their evening out
They appeared to be in jovial spirits as they struck playful poses for the camera while exploring the sights of New York
Bainbridge helped fund Grill’d since 2004 with with managing director Simon Crowe, before the pair fell out in 2016 over the ownership of the business
Due to his apparent drug use, the businessman did not take the matter to police but sought advice from a global risk consultancy group.
He was told to either continue paying off the men or hope they would go away, despite them making threats to leak the vision to Australian news outlets.
Bainbridge was appointed the managing director of Lark in 2019. Lark Distillery is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Bainbridge had also helped fund Grill’d since 2004 with with managing director Simon Crowe, before the pair fell out in 2016 over the ownership of the business.