Inside Elle Macpherson bizarre relationship with disgraced anti-vaccine doc Andrew Wakefield before their split

ELLE Macpherson endured a bizarre relationship with disgraced anti-vaccine doctor Andrew Wakefield before their split in 2019.

Their union raised eyebrows at the time, especially since they made an odd couple—a supermodel dedicated to wellness and a doctor infamous for being a global health menace.

Yet, there they were, sharing a kiss and being touchy-feely as they picked up fruit and veg from the market.

The news that Elle was dating Wakefield, who was struck off as a doctor in the UK due to his fraudulent claim linking the MMR vaccine to autism, not only turned heads—it sparked serious concern.

Wakefield’s anti-vaccination campaign had led to significant increases in childhood diseases that were nearly eradicated.

There was growing worry that Elle’s association with him could tie her to the anti-vaccination movement, potentially intertwining it with the type of wellness she promotes.

Her union with Wakefield has been brought back to light following her revelation that she chose not to undergo traditional medical treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago.

After undergoing a lumpectomy, the WelleCo founder was diagnosed with HER2 positive estrogen receptive intraductal carcinoma.

Her doctors recommended a treatment plan that included a mastectomy, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and breast reconstruction.

However, Elle chose to forgo conventional medical treatments.

In an interview to promote her upcoming memoir, Elle told Women’s Weekly that she spent time praying and meditating on a Miami beach, ultimately deciding against pharmaceutical treatments.

She also rented a house in Phoenix, Arizona for eight months where she “holistically treated” her cancer under the guidance of her primary doctor, a doctor of naturopathy, her holistic dentist, osteopath, chiropractor and two therapists.

At the time of her union with Wakefield, investigative journalist Anna Merlan wrote on Jezebel, the online women’s magazine: “If the relationship lasts, Macpherson could be instrumental in introducing Wakefield and his ideas to a whole new world of monied and influential people — people who are, like her, concerned with the somewhat spongy and ever-more-profitable concept of ‘wellness’.”

Wakefield’s estranged wife Carmel, 61, is also shocked. Her brother, Finbar O’Donovan, said: “We had no idea that Andrew was seeing Elle Macpherson.

“My sister and Andrew only split up a few months ago. They are not divorced yet but they plan to.”

Mr O’Donovan, 71, of Dronfield, Derbys, said his sister called him on Tuesday when pictures emerged of loved-up Wakefield and Elle at the farmers’ market in Miami.

He said: “She sounded shocked and said she was very surprised but also seemed amused that her husband had found a new girlfriend, who is a top model. She feels let down because it would seem they got together soon after she and Andrew split.”

Wakefield, 61, fled to the US with Carmel and their three children in 2001 after becoming a pariah in the UK. He left the family home eight months ago.

A friend explained: “There wasn’t a big argument, he just said he was moving on. He said he wanted to find himself.”

At around the same time, in November last year, Australian Elle was spotted draping her arm over Wakefield’s shoulders at the Doctors Who Rock awards in Orlando, Florida.

The pretentious-sounding awards celebrate medics for their “pioneering paradigm-shifting solutions in the fields of longevity, regeneration and chronic health issues such as autism”.

Elle who moved to Miami in 2013 after marrying American billionaire Jeffrey Soffer, was listed as a “health advocate” and was invited for a “special appearance”. It is not known if this is where the pair first met or how long they have been dating, but perhaps it gives a clue as to where the attraction lies.

Elle, dubbed The Body, is a passionate advocate of alternative health ideas. Back in 2014, feeling rundown, she sought guidance from nutritionist Dr Simone Laubscher who advised that her pH levels were off kilter.

The doctor suggested eating an alkaline diet, in which 80 per cent of foods are alkaline, such as kale and tofu, while just 20 per cent are “acid”, such as pasta and cheese.

Soon Elle was saying she felt better than she had ever done in her life, and even declared: “I believe that most ailments come from having an acidic body.”

She is now such a devotee of the doctrine she carries around testing sticks to keep check on the pH level of her urine. Elle also co-founded health supplement company Welleco, which sells “super elixirs” including alkalising powders. These cost about £800 for a year’s supply.

The Super Elixir Greens powder alone, for example, costs £96 for 300g. It is made of turmeric, mushrooms, horsetail extract and barley grass.Kate Moss once said she was adding the powders to her morning juice drink, and Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw is a fan.

Supporters believe the alkaline diet does wonders for the skin, can ward off ailments such as osteoporosis and can even prevent cancer.But Sian Porter, a spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association, said: “This is based on pseudo-science. Food doesn’t affect your blood’s pH and the whole premise of the diet is wrong.

“Your diet may impact the pH of your urine but there is no health benefit to changing this. It certainly doesn’t help to treat cancer.”

Meanwhile, in January Elle attended an event in New Jersey run by the website Fearless Parent — which has warned of the “dangers” of vaccination. Wakefield was guest of honour at the evening titled A Celebration of Medical and Parental Rights.

Mum-of-two Elle has never made her opinion on vaccination public, while Wakefield’s history on the subject is, of course, notorious. He was struck off by the General Medical Council in 2010 after he was found guilty of fraud, misconduct and unethically carrying out unnecessary tests on children, relating to his now fully discredited and retracted 1998 paper that claimed a link between MMR and autism.

But by then the damage to the health of the world’s children had been done. His paper, published in medical journal The Lancet, and publicity surrounding it threw a grenade into the UK immunisation programme.

Take-up rates of the vaccine plummeted and the country suffered spikes in measles and mumps, including the first death from measles in 14 years. When Wakefield, once a gastro- intestinal surgeon at London’s Royal Free hospital, headed to the US to start his new life in Texas, the same thing happened there.

While he does not practise medicine in the US, Wakefield has continued to promote his “anti-vaxx” views and has amassed a wealth of support. Last year, his views were linked to the largest outbreak of measles in years, in Minnesota, where he had previously campaigned.

He has also been blamed for 45,000 children opting out of school vaccinations in 2016 in Texas. Measles had been eliminated in the US by 2000, yet last year there were more than 60 cases, and estimates show one in ten parents in the USA think vaccines are unsafe.

The New York Times accused Wakefield of “irresponsibly starting a panic with tragic repercussions” — but the country’s anti-vaxx movement has only gained ground.

This has been helped by the emergence of passionate bloggers and celebrities including Jim Carrey and his ex-partner, model Jenny McCarthy, who believe her son’s autism is down to vaccination.

Hollywood legend Robert De Niro has also spoken of his fears that vaccines may have caused his own son Elliot’s autism. And another major backer of Wakefield’s beliefs is now the President.

In 2014 Donald Trump tweeted: “If I were President I would push for proper vaccinations but would not allow one-time massive shots that a small child cannot take — AUTISM.”

He has also reportedly asked another vaccine-sceptic, Robert F Kennedy — nephew of JFK — to lead a commission into vaccine safety. Trump and Wakefield have been pictured together, and Wakefield attended a meeting with the President in 2016 as well as going to one of his inauguration balls.

Wakefield said of the 45-minute meeting: “He (Trump) interjected and said, ‘You don’t need to tell me that vaccines cause autism. I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it personally’.

“We went on to discuss the issue of the autism crisis that is set to affect 80 per cent of boys if nothing is done. He said if he was to be elected he’d do something about it.”

Elle — who once reminisced about partying with Trump in her modelling heyday, saying it was “pretty cool” — is used to high-profile liaisons.

She has notched up romances with Billy Joel, Kevin Costner, Green Shield Stamps heir Tim Jefferies, and wed French fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon in 1986.

They split up three years later, and in 1996 she began a relationship with French financier Arpad Busson, with whom she has two sons, Flynn, now 20, and Aurelius, 15.

Her second marriage, to Jeffrey Soffer, ended last year after four years. It was recently reported that she received £40million and their Miami mansion in her settlement.

But Elle believes that no amount of money can match being in love. She once said: “My favourite body part is my heart. Nothing beats loving and being loved.”