Drama-magnet Sydney personal trainer Jono Castano and his girlfriend Emily Ryder appear to have called it quits, with the couple abruptly unfollowing each other on social media after dating for a year and a half.
The pair went public in April 2025, but all signs point to a split after they both hit unfollow and Emily, 29, announced this week she had moved into the home she bought in June by herself.
Tellingly, when contacted by the Daily Mail about their break-up, the two offered wildly different takes, with Jono insisting it's not over yet while Emily was hardly rushing into a denial.
The latest drama follows Jono's galling – and very public – falling-out with his ex Simone Holtznagel about his child support payments for their daughter, Gia, eventually culminating in his posting the results of a clear drug test on Instagram.
Rumours that all was not well for Jono and Emily began after fans noticed the ACERO gym owner hadn't posted his girlfriend on his Instagram grid since September, when they went on holiday to Rome together.
The chatter intensified with starkly contrasting posts that emerged last week.
Jono Castano, 35, and girlfriend Emily Ryder, 29, have unfollowed each other on Instagram, sparking rumours of trouble in paradise after a year and a half together
Jono jetted off to Nihi in Sumba, a tranquil Indonesian island near Bali and a popular honeymoon destination.
Although the setting is famed for romantic getaways, Jono went with a family member, Damian Castano, not Emily or a new love interest.
He shared videos and photos of the dreamy spot, including a shot of himself sprawled on a flower-covered bed.
By contrast, Emily uploaded a video last Tuesday revealing she had finally finished furnishing and decorating the house she bought in June entirely on her own.
'Reminder: You can do it on your own,' she captioned the clip, which showed her dancing during her home reno.
'Still pinching myself I did this on my own,' she wrote. 'Something I once thought I'd never be able to achieve.'
'But sometimes you don't realise just how capable you are, or how much you truly deserve, until you start believing in yourself. So proud of how far I've come.'
Jono's solo trip to Sumba, his girlfriend's pointed post about 'doing it on your own' and their sudden mutual unfollowing have left friends in little doubt: the relationship, which few expected to last, is finally over.
Castano told the Daily Mail that he and Emily are 'taking it slow'. By contrast, when asked about the split, Emily was more circumspect, telling us: 'I have no comment at this time'
Jono shared photos from his trip to popular honeymoon destination Nihi in Sumba, minus Emily
Emily fuelled split rumours on Tuesday by sharing a video revealing she had finished furnishing and decorating the house she bought in June, completely on her own
But not so, Jono insists. He told a Mail reporter the couple were merely 'taking it slow', a position that seems at odds with their gushing displays of affection up until relatively recently.
He offered no explanation for why they were no longer following each other online.
When we contacted Emily for her side of the story, she was more circumspect, replying: 'I have no comment at this time.'
Jono and Emily made their red carpet debut as a couple in May last year, attending the launch of Bellevue Woolloomooloo restaurant in Sydney.
Just a week earlier, in April 2025, the pair were spotted enjoying a romantic night out at the Sydney Opera House.
At the time, sources claimed they had been dating for several months, bonding over a shared passion for fitness and adventure.
While their relationship began on the quieter side, insiders previously said they were 'absolutely smitten' and eager to spend more time together.
Emily, a flight attendant and influencer, rose to fame on Stan's hit dating series Love Triangle, where she was initially matched with Sam Fisher.
Their relationship quickly soured after it was revealed Sam had been secretly communicating with an ex-girlfriend during filming.
Emily later addressed the betrayal, stating: 'The lies were so detailed, you couldn't even write this. I congratulate him for how great he was at lying, it was pretty well done!'
Jono was previously linked to Perth-based fashion designer Nilofar Khirzad, following his high-profile split from model Simone Holtznagel.
He and Simone dated for almost two years after meeting through Sydney's social scene and share two-year-old daughter Gia.
After their split, the exes' child support dispute became a social media soap opera when Simone publicly accused him on February 6 of 'rocking up 45 minutes late to his supervised visit'.
In February, Jono traded barbs with ex-partner Simone Holtznagel over their co-parenting arrangement and child support payments. (Pictured: Simone's post that started the feud)
The following month, Jono uploaded a screenshot of the drug test, which indicated that he had tested negative for a raft of substances including cocaine and MDMA
She went on to claim he had only recently started paying more than $40 a week in child support and had 'the audacity to ask if I'm pregnant because I "have a tummy". The confidence. The delusion. The absolute lack of self-awareness'.
Hours after Simone's post went live and was viewed thousands of times, Jono shared his own rebuttal video to Instagram.
He claimed Simone's post was full of 'lies', before showing screenshots of bank transactions that showed him sending his ex almost $8,500 since December.
However, he did concede he'd been making significantly lower payments before then.
Regarding Simone's claim that he had asked if she was pregnant because of her 'tummy', Jono explained what he'd really said was that he was 'very happy for Gia if you are pregnant'.
The following month, Jono once again ventilated the personal dispute by publishing the results of his clear drug test on Instagram, which indicated he had tested negative for a raft of substances including cocaine and MDMA.
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