Gabi Grecko has revealed she still carries guilt over not being with her late husband, colourful businessman Geoffrey Edelsten, in his final days.
Edelsten, who died in 2021 on what would have been their wedding anniversary, was 72 when he wed the then-24-year-old former model and DJ.
‘I miss his voice, I miss talking to him. Just having someone close to you that you care about,’ she told the Herald Sun from New York.
The pair were often seen out and about during their whirlwind marriage, from glamorous events to movie dates and casino outings.
But despite the glitz, Grecko says their life together wasn’t as extravagant as many assumed.
‘He wasn’t broke but he was not allowed to spend as much. We had a lot of financial problems and I wanted to have a career,’ she said.
Gabi Grecko has revealed she still carries guilt over not being with her late husband, colourful businessman Geoffrey Edelsten, in his final days
Edelsten, who died in 2021 on what would have been their wedding anniversary, was 72 when he wed the then-24-year-old former model and DJ. (Both pictured)
Edelsten proposed to Grecko in the Birdcage at Flemington Racecourse during the 2014 Melbourne Cup.
The couple later married in a lavish but short-lived union that continued to attract media attention long after it ended.
‘It wasn’t a very sexually active relationship,’ she confessed.
‘I didn’t plan to be in a relationship where there wasn’t as much of that, but I hadn’t met anyone as interesting.’
Gabi and Edelsten wed in a Melbourne registry office in 2015, mere hours before her Australian travel visa expired.
She was called every name under the sun, with ‘gold digger’ at the top of that list.
Today, New York-based Gabi still commands a large online audience.
She describes herself as a rapper under the stage name ‘Gabi Glitter’ on Instagram.
Gabi and Geoffrey Edelsten wed in a Melbourne registry office in 2015
Gabi first met Edelsten on a dating app in 2014 and boarded a flight from New York to meet him a week later.
They tied the knot in June 2015 when Gabi was 26 and Edelsten was 72, an age difference of 46 years.
However, the marriage was short-lived, with the couple splitting a few months later.
Gabi stated in an affidavit while contesting his will that they had some ‘frank discussions’ in 2017 about Edelsten’s ‘abusive behaviour’ towards her and reconciled, before finally separating in 2019.
For the last three years of Edelsten’s life, the estranged couple lived in different countries, with Edelsten based in Australia while Gabi resided in New York City.
However, she claimed she was still legally married to him when he died.
At the peak of his success, Edelsten owned the Sydney Swans AFL football club, travelled in helicopters and led an extravagant lifestyle.
After Edelsten’s death in 2021, Gabi underwent a complete makeover
However, his final will revealed the dire financial circumstances the notorious womaniser was in before his death.
Edelsten died in June 2021, aged 78, leaving behind an estate valued at just over $1 million.
He bequeathed his only child, his son Matthew Beard, $50,000 and left his ex-wives Brynne Edelsten and Grecko not a single cent.
Both contested the will, but were unsuccessful.
Gabi’s decision to contest her ex-husband’s will came as a surprise, as in July 2021 she told A Current Affair she wouldn’t be making a claim because Edelsten was broke.
‘It’s very like comedy, when people talk about me inheriting money. I’m like, no. More like I’m inheriting millions of dollars of debt,’ she said.
‘I was still married to him when he died, and I’m his widow. And I’ll produce documents if needed, but I don’t want anything, and I’ve made that clear.’
The Allied Medical Group founder died a virtual pauper, despite his desperate attempts to portray an image of extreme wealth in his final years.
