entertainment

This is how much Chrissie Swan was willing to pay to stop you from reading this story.

Chrissie Swan on The Project.

In the days since radio personality Chrissie Swan tearfully admitted to smoking during her current pregnancy, details are emerging of just how far the 39-year-old was willing to go to hide the photos from the public and her kids.

The former Big Brother contestant and host of The Circle, entered into a bidding war with Australia’s major women’s magazines – New Idea and Women’s Day – to purchase the images.

New Idea reportedly dropped out of the race with an unsuccessful offer of $30,000 for the photos. Chrissie and her management placed a bid of $53,000 for the images and that was as far as she could go as “just a working mother.”

Women’s Day’s and their offer of $55,000 were the ultimate winners and the pictures will be published in Monday’s edition of magazine.

The editor of Women’s Day, Fiona Connolly.

There’s been widespread community criticism of Women’s Day’s purchase and claims that it’s an invasion of Chrissie’s privacy but the editor of Women’s Day, Fiona Connolly, has defended her magazine’s decision.

“Woman’s Day will publish the photos of Chrissie Swan that are currently dividing the nation,” Fiona said in a statement.

“Chrissie herself has admitted how grateful she is the photos were taken as they not only stopped her smoking but have sparked one of the most significant debates for women’s health in years.”

If you were in Fiona’s position, would you have done the same?

Alana House, the new editor of Mamamia’s sister site iVillage  a former women’s magazine editor, has written about whether or not she would have purchased the photos, if she was in the position of Women’s Day editor Fiona Connelly.

Alana writes:

Alana House.

As a former Woman’s Day editor I’ve given much thought to those now-infamous paparazzi photographs of Chrisse Swan smoking while pregnant.

Would I have bought them if they were offered during my tenure?

And the honest answer is: yes.

I’d have seen them and my eyes would have gone wide with excitement. Chrissie Swan. Smoking. While pregnant.

Chrissie Swan smoking while pregnant is big news. You just have to look at the column inches and on-line comments that have been devoted to it this week.

But, after reading all those on-line comments, I’d be feeling a bit uncertain about running those pictures I’ve paid a reported $55,000 to publish.

Because people are on Chrissie’s side. And that’s the amazing thing about Australians. They don’t like their “own” being attacked. They’re protective of their stars.

You can read Alana’s full post (and you really should!) here.

What would you have done if you were Chrissie? What would you have done if you were Fiona?