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Ex-criminal turned YouTube sensation Spanian has opened up about his 'magical' new life since splitting from his wife and dating a younger woman in a surreal interview with the Daily Mail. The 37-year-old eshay influencer was spending Melbourne Cup day with friends at Barangaroo - where he lives in a $6million waterfront apartment with views of Darling Harbour - when we approached him for comment on his marriage breakdown and subsequent headline-making romance with a woman 15 years his junior. Spanian - legal name Anthony Lees - emerged at lunchtime on Tuesday in shorts, a white T-shirt and cap, and also sporting a nose bandage after his recent rhinoplasty - which, along with the latest stunning developments in his romantic life, has prompted some fans to question his credibility as a reformed street philosopher. Shadowed by another man who was keen to prevent Spanian from talking, the kebab shop entrepreneur nevertheless had a few strange comments in response to our questions while having coffee with mates at the harbourside cafe Belle, before heading off to nearby French bistro Saisons. Just weeks ago, Spanian confirmed his split from wife Angela McColl, the mother of his five-month-old son, who has already hinted she will share her side of the story. He has since debuted his new relationship with 22-year-old Sydney woman Ava Jean Walker, posting a cosy Snapchat photo with the Harbour Bridge glittering behind them. Asked how his new life was going, Spanian spoke only in alliterative riddles, saying it was 'magical, majestic, madness'. Turning on his phone video to record the encounter with the Daily Mail, he asked what further 'm' words he could say. When we suggested 'marriage', he replied: 'Not that.' When asked specifically about his new relationship with Walker, he responded somewhat cryptically: 'Mediation.' Despite Spanian's prolific presence on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, he said of his encounter with the Daily Mail: 'This is taking it to a new level.' His as-yet-unveiled nose job - plus a fresh set of porcelain veneers and a video in which the Western Sydney icon declared his love for Double Bay - has sent Spanian's traditional fan base reeling in recent weeks. Spanian was once Sydney's poster boy for the working-class urban youth subculture called eshays, known for tracksuits, bum bags, tough talk and street cred. He has convictions for armed robbery, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and reckless wounding (pleaded down from an initial attempted murder charge). His last sentence was for operating a criminal group that dealt drugs. He served more than 12 years in prison in total. After his release from Bathurst prison in 2017, he launched YouTube series 'Into the Hood', travelling across Australia and the world visiting dangerous, crime-riddled areas. An influencer career beckoned as he marketed himself on YouTube as a reformed ex-crim, earning a fortune in the process. But now Spanian's dramatic new look and marriage split have prompted longtime loyalists to wonder if he's had a 'complete personality transplant'. After featuring his new romance with Walker on social media, he bragged: 'I'm in the news because I have a beautiful new missus. 'I get a girlfriend, I'm in the news. I break up with my ex-wife, I'm in the news. I love that I'm extremely relevant.' Spanian said in another video he was 'clearly separated' from Angela and that it was a simple case of two people changing and 'fall[ing] out of love'. 'She thought it would be better if we separated and I lived here, and I did,' he said. Apart from a post asking 'who the f*** did I marry and have a kid [with]' and teasing a tell-all 'shortly', Angela hasn't publicly commented on the break-up. However, she did emerge on TikTok this week in a video showing her dancing with friends in an EzyMart convenience store while wearing a black lace dress. Fans were pleased to see her looking happy again, commenting: 'Baddies on the loose,' 'YESSSS the post we have been waiting for,' and 'Girl's got her glow back.' While he boasts of his 'extreme' relevance, not everyone is cheering him on. Once praised for his gritty authenticity, fans now say Spanian has become 'unrecognisable' - both in looks and attitude. 'He's had the nose done, the veneers, and now he's dating someone who looks [so much] younger,' one fan commented on TikTok, a sentiment echoed across dozens of posts. 'This isn't the Spanian people followed. He's let the fame and money go to his head.' Others took aim at the age gap. 'He needs to leave that poor girl alone, it's embarrassing,' one follower wrote. Meanwhile, Spanian looks to be smitten with Ava, even going back through her Instagram to like old posts, including one from her trip to Byron Bay in January 2024. The backlash risks spilling over into his food business, with some fans threatening to boycott his Spanian's Kebabs chain, which has locations in Sydney and Melbourne. The image problem couldn't come at a worse time for Spanian's Kebabs, which is gearing up to launch on Newtown's ultra-competitive King Street - a brutal strip where eateries often fail fast, including the site's previous tenant, Mr Potato. 'He used to be about the streets - now he's just another influencer flogging food,' one critic posted in a popular TikTok comment. Many of his biggest fans fear he's lost the raw edge that made him famous. 'He was the voice of the streets,' one wrote. 'Now he looks like he's trying to join the cast of Love Island.' It follows a major setback earlier in the year when arsonists torched one of his Melbourne trucks just days before its Preston grand opening. Firefighters were called to the scene after the trailer was doused in accelerant and set on fire. Spanian - ever the optimist - brushed off the attack, claiming it was 'the biggest turnout we've ever had'. NEW TO DAILYMAIL+? READ OUR BIGGEST STORIES FROM THE LAST WEEK Sex aids and poppers... the sordid discoveries made by royal aides after party Andrew threw for Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell - and the truth about those massages: ROBERT JOBSON A trans grandmother, a patriarch scarred by horrors of war, and two very unusual marriages: We reveal the deeply complicated world of Gus Lamont's Outback family I thought Mounjaro would fix my weight but the first month was a disaster with these disgusting side effects. This is the simple tweak I made to supercharge my jab... and lose 3 stone and three dress sizes
