designer

MOST young mothers cannot fathom the agony of losing custody of their babies, but for British model Lucia Bartoli, an unimaginable nightmare has taken a dark and twisted turn after a ‘social media ban’.

The 30-year-old Luton-born mum has spent the last year fighting a desperate, David-and-Goliath legal battle against her ex-boyfriend, the £700million German fashion designer Philipp Plein.

Now, in a devastating new blow, Lucia has been silenced after a bizarre move wiped her only lifeline – her Instagram account – off the internet, leaving her isolated and on the brink of homelessness in a foreign country.

Her devoted fans have expressed concern about her internet disappearance.

With celebrity supporters such as actress Alice Evans posting: “Lucia you are SO STRONG. No mother should have to go through this. We are all here for you. Don’t break. We have a collective voice and we can speak for you.. Silence is violence.”

Since her bitter split from Philipp in 2023, Lucia had bravely used her Instagram account to document the destruction of her family and rally support from more than 300,000 followers.

The platform became a crucial tool, helping her raise over £50,000 through GoFundMe to pay her mounting legal bills in her fight to be reunited with her two young sons.

But days after a crushing blow was dealt on June 30, when her Instagram profile appeared to have disappeared.

Friends of the model claim the account was abruptly suspended after five of her own personal family posts, dating back to 2019, 2023, and 2024, were hit by copyright claims.

It is not known who is reporting the young mum’s social media accounts.

A friend of the distraught mother told The Sun: “Lucia is devastated. She is alone in Switzerland and, she has a few good friends there but her main support network is either at home in the UK or online. Losing the account has therefore been a huge blow.”

The digital wipeout has left the young mother feeling completely bewildered and targeted.

Her pal continued: “This came out of nowhere, and Lucia is very confused as to why old content that had been online for years was suddenly flagged for copyright.

“She is desperate to get the account back and has been following all the official steps to try and appeal.”

Lucia’s erasure from the internet has even followed her to other apps, according to pals, who say she has had difficulty posting on TikTok.

The timing of this high-tech silencing campaign could not be worse for the desperate mother.

Lucia was recently evicted from an apartment owned by her billionaire ex and is now rapidly running out of funds.

She has been living in a temporary Airbnb in Lugano, Switzerland, to stay near the jurisdiction where her children reside, but that lifeline is about to be cut.

Revealing the terrifying reality of her living situation, her friend said: “Lucia won’t be able to afford to live in Switzerland for much longer.

“Right now, she is living in a temporary Airbnb where the booking runs out in the next 10 days and she is unable to fund another place with ongoing legal costs.

“She is financially dependent on strangers’ kind donations through her GoFundMe, and she is worried that she may have to fly back to the UK.”

Without her Instagram platform to share her story, those vital donations are at risk of drying up completely, threatening to physically separate her from her boys while her ex pushes ahead with an application to permanently relocate the children to the United States.

At the heart of this digital warfare is a very human tragedy: a mother fighting simply to see her children.

The estranged couple faced each other in court in Lugano, Switzerland again in June for a new hearing, but no settlement was reached.

Consequently, matters relating to custody and residency of the children remain undecided, and Lucia’s court-ordered custody arrangement has not changed.

She continues to endure the pain of having absolutely no visitation or contact with her eldest child – a heartbreaking reality she has faced for nearly a year.

While her contact with her youngest child remains restricted.

The emotional toll of fighting on multiple fronts is becoming unbearable. Her friend admitted: “Dealing with her account suspension, on top of preparing for the next stage of her custody battle, has been exhausting for Lucia, and it has been almost impossible for her to stay positive.”

Philipp, 48, who is dubbed the “King of Bling” for his jewel-encrusted and extravagant designs, won temporary full-time custody last year.

While Lucia battles to restore her Instagram account and faces the very real prospect of homelessness, Philipp has previously maintained that he never wanted the legal fight.

In a prior statement to The Sun, a spokesman for the designer: “Mr Plein always believed, with pure heart and total integrity, in the Swiss judicial system and defended his rights and those of his children in procedures that were not started by him, that he did not want and that he tried everything he could to avoid and prevent.

“He is now facing the big challenge of protecting his children, himself, his family and his business.

“He will continue this fight to achieve respect and protection for his children.”

For Lucia, however, the fight is simply about survival and a mother’s desperate hope to hold her children again.

But with her funds drying up, her legal options narrowing, and her voice systematically erased online, the odds against this British mum have never looked so terrifyingly steep.

DUA Lipa partied with friends until 6am at the finale of her three-day Sicilian wedding after Elton John sang and played piano for her ceremony.

The Be The One singer, 30, downed Negronis, drank champagne, smoked cigarettes and snogged new husband Callum Turner, 36, through the night, insiders said.

But The Sun can reveal security downed two drones by jamming their signals after they flew over the party, causing a huge security scare for the A-Lister guests.

We can also reveal she wore two dresses over the course of the night, both believed to have been designed by Donatella Versace.

Both dresses were white and floor length, and described by onlookers as “glittering”.

Dua, who wore her hair down, had a long train for her wedding ceremony, but slipped into a more comfortable one so she could dance at the afterparty.

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Guests wept earlier in a hugely emotional moment as Sir Elton John serenaded Dua by playing piano and singing Your Song.

But a source told The Sun there were concerns for the Rocket Man legend, who was visibly struggling with his eyesight and appeared frail as he had to be supported by two men holding him.

A source told The Sun: “He had a person on each arm to guide him because he couldn’t see but he played the piano so well.”

They were then treated to a wedding feast which included a catalan lobster salad, tuna, and pasta with lobster.

Guests also had cannoli – Sicilian sweet pastry treats.

Sir Elton John left after the dinner, around the same time as Versace left too.

An Albanian community group based in Palermo also danced at the reception for Dua as bands played live music to guests whose cheers could be heard from the neighbouring streets.

Kosovo-Albanian singer Besnik Qaka and his band performed inside the venue in the evening.

A spectacular ten-minute firework display wowed guests at 11.30pm, before they moved inside the Villa Valguarnera for the afterparty. DJs played music including discotech.

A huge security presence threw a ring of steel around the event, and staff all signed NDAs and had to hand their phones in at 11am and did not get it back again until they left in the early hours.

Dua and Callum Said I Do in the Garden before the reception began.

Guests sat on wicker chairs adorned with white ribbon and gifted hand-embroidered white handkerchiefs with ‘Stay Mad with Me Forever’ on them in red.

They also got a white cotton bag with a red ‘D and C’ on the chair, which was filled with biodegradable confetti.

Elton, 79, who flew in by private jet for the ceremony, and Dua are close friends after they collaborated on the track Cold Heart in 2021.

Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace, 71, was also at the wedding, held in the grounds of the 18th-century Villa Valguarnera in Bagheria, and is believed to have designed Dua’s dress.

Yesterday’s service followed an official one at Old Marylebone Town Hall in central London last week.

A-list guests in Sicily included Brit actor Joe Alwyn, American actress Grace Gummer and her husband DJ Mark Ronson, and pop star Charli XCX and her husband George Daniel, the drummer with The 1975.

Some guests were understood to have signed non-disclosure agreements to protect the privacy of the star-studded three-day celebrations, which kicked off on Friday.

A ring of steel surrounded the venue with metal barriers erected along the roads leading to it.

The villa, which featured in the opening credits of HBO drama The White Lotus 2, is widely considered one of the most historically and culturally significant villas in Sicily.

One Kiss singer Dua, who has an estimated net worth of £150million, and Callum hired the venue for a reported £86,000.

It was once a Mafia hideout but has since been taken on by 76-year-old Italian author and translator Vittoria Alliata di Villafranca, the Princess of Valguarnera, who still lives in the estate.

A huge floral installation of white peonies, hyacinth and lily of the valley from a local florist served as the backdrop for the couple’s vows in the striking courtyard.

Meanwhile the grand entrance to the villa was adorned with purple bougainvillea flowers — a defining feature of Sicily.

Dua is understood to have walked down the aisle with her dad and manager Dukagjin through the courtyard. Pale wooden chairs draped with a cream ribbon were arranged for 200 guests in a semicircle for the ceremony.

Wedding favours included white hankerchiefs embroidered in red with “Stay mad with me forever” and there was also a photo booth.

Guests arrived in chauffer-driven cars and were served wine and popcorn while waiting for the ceremony to commence.

The ceremony was followed by a traditional Sicilian menu from chef Tony Lo Coco’s Michelin-starred Bagheria restaurant I Pupi.

Guests then partied into the night with an outdoor DJ set.

Dua and Callum — who is among the favourites to be the next James Bond — are staying in a £6,000-anight suite at the five-star 19th Century Palazzo Villa Igiea in nearby Palermo.

They are reported to have reserved two floors of the hotel and are staying in the Donna Franca Suite with the private terrace offering panoramic views of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

They also shut down two city centre squares in Palermo for the first of three days of parties.

Last week The Sun revealed that Dua paid £5,000 to residents who live around the area to thank them.

But she was criticised by locals who stuck up posters accusing the singer of making their public space a “living room for the rich”. Others said: “Palermo is not for rent.”

Sir Elton John left Palermo in a private jet just after 12.30pm local time today.

The music legend, 79, was accompanied by husband David Furnish, 63, who took a photo of the singer with ground staff.

The £24,000 private jet headed towards Farnborough, near his home in Windsor. Elton was a blue tracksuit while David wore a yellow suit.