Friends of Ardu Cubillo, partner of Melbourne Demons AFL player Kysaiah Pickett, say she had a "gut feeling" something was wrong before discovering in March that he had allegedly been seeing another woman throughout their five-year relationship. The revelation came when a younger Sydney-based model contacted Cubillo directly via TikTok, alleging she and Pickett had continued a relationship that began in 2021, ending the couple's partnership and upending Cubillo's life with their one-year-old daughter.

According to leaked TikTok messages, the model claimed Pickett had told her he loved her and wanted to reunite once he "sorted out" his relationship with Cubillo, and that he had sent her flowers and a card on Valentine's Day after they spent time together on Hamilton Island in February. When Cubillo confronted Pickett while out shopping, he reportedly dismissed the woman as "a liar", prompting Cubillo to leave immediately, fly with her daughter to Darwin, and begin rebuilding her life there with the support of her family, who are prominent in the city's business and arts community.