By Crikey reporter Sophie Black


Woman’s Day has “bought” Australia’s golden cover couple Bec and Lleyton Hewitt – apparently for $1 million.

According to publishing insiders, the Packer-owned weekly gossip magazine has gazumped its bitter rival New Idea
to nab the rights to every story about the couple for at least the next
year – including the impending birth of their baby. And Crikey
understands that as part of the mega-deal, former soapie starlet Bec
Hewitt (nee Cartwright) will become the “face” of Women’s Day.

Mr and Mrs Hewitt are as close as it gets to a “sure thing” in
gossip rag terms – the couple’s faces on the cover ensure a big hike
in circulation.

New Idea shelled out a reported
$500,000 for the rights to the couple’s nuptials earlier this year,
featuring ten pink pages of “Bec & Lleyton’s Wedding Album”
complete with photos of the wedding party, the 100 kilogram wedding
cake and breakout quotes like “Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy?
Daddy don’t cry!”

Crikey understands that Woman’s Day
had been duchessing Hewitt’s management for months before securing the
exclusive deal with its access to the entrepreneurial pair and their
future offspring.

This week, the magazine features its first cover story under the new
deal, with a photo spread of Bec and Lleyton relaxing at their $4.5
million Palm Beach love nest. The six page splash features the tanned
newly-weds barbequeing corn cobs and canoodling poolside.

Woman’s Day editor Alana House wouldn’t offer any comment to Crikey on the coup. We also rang New Idea to see if they were spitting chips over the steal, but they didn’t get back to us.