The Chase Australia host Andrew O’Keefe, 49, charged over alleged domestic assault on woman, 41 as police take out restraining order
- Channel Seven’s Andrew O’Keefe was arrested in Sydney on Sunday
- O’Keefe was charged with common assault (Domestic Violence)
- The incident allegedly happened at a Randwick unit
- He was released on bail after questioning at the Maroubra Police Station
Channel Seven’s Andrew O’Keefe has been charged with common assault (Domestic Violence) after an incident in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Chase Australia host allegedly assaulted haematologist Orly Lavee, 41, at an apartment in Randwick, in Sydney’s inner east.
Andrew, 49, was taken to Maroubra Police Station in the early hours of Sunday morning, where he was charged.
The Chase Australia host Andrew O’Keefe, 49, is facing domestic violence charges in Sydney after allegedly assaulting woman, 41
The alleged incident occurred just before 1am at a Randwich unit.
A NSW Police spokeswoman confirmed that officers from Eastern Beaches Area Command attended the unit after reports of an altercation.
The police also applied for a provisional apprehended violence order to protect Dr Lavee, with the order preventing O’Keefe from approaching or contacting her.
Released on bail: Andrew, 49, was arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station in the early hours of Sunday morning, where he was charged
The former Weekend Sunrise host was released on police bail, with conditions preventing him from contacting Dr Lavee, except through legal representation.
He must also not assault, molest, stalk, harass or intimidate her, and is prohibited from attending her workplace or her $2million apartment and intentionally or recklessly destroying or damaging any property that belongs to or is in the possession of Dr Lavee.
The matter will first be heard in court on Thursday.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Seven for comment.
Order: The Police also applied for a provisional apprehended violence order to protect Dr Lavee, with the order preventing O’Keefe from approaching or contacting her
Issues: The star separated from his wife Eleanor in late 2017 and once had a stint in rehab
On Sunday, O’Keefe faced rumours that he was being replaced on Seven by Rove McManus in 2021 after the star’s battle with ‘exhaustion’ in 2020.
A spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday, before news broke of his arrest, that Andrew was a ‘valued member’ of the Channel Seven family.
‘Andrew O’Keefe has been a valued member of the Seven on-air family for many years and he continues to appear on air as host of The Chase Australia,’ they said.
The spokeswoman went on to say: ‘The speculation about his future and alleged replacements is baseless, ill-informed and wrong.’
Andrew has been the host of the popular quiz show since 2015. He has had a number of breaks in the past 18 months in order to take care of some personal health issues.
The star separated from his wife Eleanor in late 2017. The former couple share three children: Barnaby, 15, Rory, 12, and Olivia, eight.
Familiar face: Andrew has been the host of the popular quiz show since 2015
