Anti-Domestic Violence Campaigner Andrew O'Keefe Charged With Domestic Violence

TV host and former White Ribbon chairman Andrew O'Keefe has been charged with domestic violence.

Police will allege the 49-year-old assaulted his partner, Dr Orly Lavee, at a Sydney apartment in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The host of Channel 7's The Chase Australia has been granted bail on the provision he doesn't contact his partner unless through a lawyer. He's also not allowed to go to her house.

NSW Police released a statement to NCA Newswire on the matter, saying: "Just before 1am, officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command attended a Randwick unit, after reports a 41-year-old woman had allegedly been assaulted in a domestic violence related incident.

"Following inquiries, police arrested a 49-year-old man nearby about 3.30am.

"He was taken to Maroubra police station where he was charged with common assault (DV) and granted conditional bail to appear at Waverley Local Court on Thursday 4 February 2021."

Channel 7 has declined to comment on the matter directly and said his job at The Chase hasn't been affected by the allegations.

"Andrew O'Keefe has been a valued member of the Seven on-air family for many years and he continues to appear as host of The Chase Australia," a network spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph.

O'Keefe told News Corp that he was struggling with inner demons after his father died in 2014 and his marriage ended in 2017.

"Painful emotions generally breed unhelpful behaviours because no one likes to live with the pain, they want to get rid of it as soon as possible," he told The Sunday Telegraph in 2019.

The newspaper reports he has had several stints in rehab for mental health issues, which even saw The Chase Australia delay filming to allow the host time to heal.

O'Keefe was also one of the founding members of anti-domestic violence foundation White Ribbon Australia.

He served as the chairman until 2012 and was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his contributions to television and charities like White Ribbon.

Featured Image Credit: Seven Network

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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