Lachlan Spark quits Instagram after slamming ex-wife Lauren Phillips in several posts

Lachlan Spark has quit social media after posting several personal messages criticising his ex-wife Lauren Phillips for being selfish during their short marriage.

The scorned ex lashed out at Phillips, a respected Channel Nine television journalist, several times in the past week, blasting her lifestyle and revealing he’d suggested she ‘lose weight’ to help make the marriage work.

He last commented on the pitfalls of their marriage just two days ago – but on Sunday admitted he regretted speaking of Phillips and ‘let his ego get in the way’.

‘It was incredibly naive and stupid of me to say anything about my experience,’ he told the Herald Sun.

Lachlan Spark has quit social media after posting several personal messages criticising his TV journalist ex-wife Lauren Phillips for being selfish during their short marriage 

He's smitten: Lachlan said he'd met his new girlfriend Courtney by 'sheer, dumb luck', adding: 'She knows how to love me like I've never been loved before... I love you'

He’s smitten: Lachlan said he’d met his new girlfriend Courtney by ‘sheer, dumb luck’, adding: ‘She knows how to love me like I’ve never been loved before… I love you’

‘I deserve all the criticism I’ve copped and I regret the hurt I’ve caused. Back to anonymity for this fool.’

Following the statement, Spark deactivated his Instagram page and hasn’t indicated when he will return to social media.  

In a shock Instagram post debuting his new girlfriend Courtney Wynbergen last week, Spark said he’d been seeking more substance from a partner since separating from Phillips. 

In the scathing assessment of his marriage, he accused Lauren of ‘caring more about herself’ during their relationship. 

‘A while ago, I married a girl who cared much more about herself and how she was perceived than she did about me. 

Anything but amicable: Lachlan Spark hit headlines this week after posting an eyebrow-raising online attack against his ex-wife of one year, Lauren Phillips. Both pictured in 2014

Anything but amicable: Lachlan Spark hit headlines this week after posting an eyebrow-raising online attack against his ex-wife of one year, Lauren Phillips. Both pictured in 2014

All over: Lachlan and Lauren wed in 2017 after six years of dating, but confirmed their split in December 2018 after just a year of marriage. In happier times: Lauren Phillips marries Lachlan Spark

All over: Lachlan and Lauren wed in 2017 after six years of dating, but confirmed their split in December 2018 after just a year of marriage. In happier times: Lauren Phillips marries Lachlan Spark

‘I truly believed there was more to a relationship (and life) than skin-deep friends, free holidays and Instagram followers – I just needed to find it. 

‘Approaching 40, I was more than a bit nervous I’d wasted a big chunk of my life with the wrong person, and that I was long odds to find anyone who was willing (or able) to give me the love I knew I deserved.’ 

But Spark has since changed his tune.

On Sunday, he said: ‘I’ve been very careful to not speak badly about Lauren since we split because despite what we’ve been through, she’s a good person. 

‘I foolishly let my emotions and my ego get in the way of my better judgment.’

Spark, who runs his own creative agency, went on to admit he’d suggested Phillips ‘lose weight’ in a follow up interview. 

He said it wasn’t so much a list of demands as a ‘framework of changes’ where he asked his then 39-year-old partner to be more active.   

On Sunday, he said: 'I've been very careful to not speak badly about Lauren since we split because despite what we've been through, she's a good person

On Sunday, he said: ‘I’ve been very careful to not speak badly about Lauren since we split because despite what we’ve been through, she’s a good person

‘I said for it to work some changes had to be made,’ the Antarctica marathon runner told the publication, before slamming claims he’d ever asked her to ‘lose weight’. 

‘Help out around the house, lift a little bit, I told her, and I regret framing it the way I did, but I said I’m more attracted to people when they are active because I’m an active person. 

‘I could have stuck around for 20 years, but it would have all been on Lauren’s terms. Her terms are fine if you are happy with that lifestyle,’ he added. 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Phillips for further comment. 

The Weekend Today presenter has maintained a dignified silence since her marriage was thrust into the spotlight this week. 

New flame: His blistering statement came as he debuted his new girlfriend, Courtney Wynbergen, (pictured) who he said had 'changed his world'

New flame: His blistering statement came as he debuted his new girlfriend, Courtney Wynbergen, (pictured) who he said had ‘changed his world’

He last commented on the pitfalls of marriage just two days ago - but on Sunday Spark admitted he regretted speaking of Phillips and 'let his ego get in the way'

He last commented on the pitfalls of marriage just two days ago – but on Sunday Spark admitted he regretted speaking of Phillips and ‘let his ego get in the way’

The couple married in 2017 after six years of dating, but confirmed their split just 12 months later. 

The family home the couple purchased in Melbourne with intentions of starting a family will hit the market next month for $1.3million. 

Both Spark and Phillips have since moved on, with the latter said to be dating multi-millionaire jet tycoon Paul O’Brien, who happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Sunrise host Sam Armytage. 

Meanwhile Sparks revealed he met Wynbergen by ‘sheer, dumb luck’.

‘I ran into this girl and my world changed,’ he wrote online when debuting their relationship.

He went on to call Wynbergen a ‘fighter’, ‘loyal’ and ‘utterly magnificent’, then added: ‘She knows how to love me like I’ve never been loved before… I love you.’ 

New man: Lauren is now believed to be dating multi-millionaire jet tycoon Paul O'Brien, who happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Sunrise host Sam Armytage

New man: Lauren is now believed to be dating multi-millionaire jet tycoon Paul O’Brien, who happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Sunrise host Sam Armytage