Now husband and Channel 7 supremo David Leckie has a major headache-how to sooth the troubled brows of his network's major talent, the diminutive but perfectly formed ex-Manpower dancer turned gardening guru, Jame Durie.
Durie is furious that gossip mag New Idea (referred to as No Idea by some publishing wags) printed a tale that he had been 'dumped' by Oprah Winfrey after winning hearts and minds when Jamie first appeared on Oprah's show 2 years ago to give gardening hints and went on to become a regular guest.
"Not true" said an upset Durie and an Oprah spokesman backed him up when the Shuttle managed to get through by Skype-saying that despite Jamie filming a series of his Outdoor Room for US cable TV, he and Oprah still maintain a warm relationship. It's high priced lawyers at ten paces which puts Leckie in a difficult position-one of his top money spinners is suing a publication owned by Pacific Publications which in turn is owned by Leckie's boss, Channel 7 owner and billionaire Kerry Stokes.
New Idea only recently apologised to tennis ace Leyton Hewitt and wife Bec over a mistaken tale that linked Bec with a mysterious man who turned out to be her minder. Bec is still considering whether she will take the matter further.
Where this dispute will end no-one knows, but it's just 4 weeks since the Shuttle attended the launch of Durie's new range of garden furniture in his Patio range at the re-vamped Beresford Hotel just off Oxford Street's gay strip in Darlinghurst and while sharing a champers with owner Ashog and Durie, a call came through from the Great One herself. Yes. Oprah had negotiated time zones to place a congratulating personal call to Jamie.