Sydney’s eshay subculture has found its emblematic figure in Spanian, a persona defined by tracksuits, street bravado, and urban authenticity.
However, Spanian’s recent transformation, alongside the introduction of his significantly younger girlfriend, has sparked debate among his followers about whether he’s staying true to himself.
Once known for his gritty past, including 13 years behind bars, Anthony Lees—better known as Spanian—now resembles a typical Bondi influencer more than a reformed street philosopher who built a YouTube empire.
The 37-year-old former convict has surprised fans with his drastic makeover, featuring a nose job and a new set of porcelain veneers. These changes have led some to speculate if he’s also undergone a “complete personality transplant.”
It’s not only his new look that’s causing a stir. Recently, Spanian announced his separation from Angela McColl, his wife and the mother of their five-month-old son. McColl has hinted at revealing her side of the story.
Following the split, Spanian has gone public with his new romance with 22-year-old Sydney resident Ava Jean Miller. He shared an intimate Snapchat photo featuring the couple against the sparkling backdrop of the Harbour Bridge.
‘I’m in the news because I have a beautiful new missus,’ Spanian bragged online.
‘I get a girlfriend, I’m in the news. I break up with my ex-wife, I’m in the news. I love that I’m extremely relevant.’
Anthony Lees, who creates content on social media under the name ‘Spanian’, has debuted his youthful new girlfriend (both pictured) after splitting from his wife of two years
Spanian ‘hard-launched’ his new girlfriend Ava Jean Miller on social media
Only a handful of photos showing the couple together have appeared on TikTok and Snapchat
Spanian said in another video he was ‘clearly separated’ from Angela and that it was a simple case of two people changing and ‘fall[ing] out of love’.
‘She thought it would be better if we separated and I lived here, and I did,’ he said.
While he boasts of his ‘extreme’ relevance, not everyone is cheering him on.
Once praised for his gritty authenticity, fans now say Spanian has become ‘unrecognisable’ – both in looks and attitude.
‘He’s had the nose done, the veneers, and now he’s dating someone who looks [so much] younger,’ one fan commented on TikTok, a sentiment echoed across dozens of posts.
‘This isn’t the Spanian people followed. He’s let the fame and money go to his head.’
Others took aim at the age gap.
‘She looks like she just finished Year 12,’ one follower wrote. ‘He needs to leave that poor girl alone, it’s embarrassing.’
Fans have pointed out how drastically Spanian has changed since finding fame. He has a five-month-old baby boy with estranged wife Angela McColl (right), whom he married in 2023
Angela suggested she would talk about her marriage breakdown on social media ‘shortly’
The backlash risks spilling over into his food business, with some fans threatening to boycott his Spanian’s Kebabs chain, which has locations in Sydney and Melbourne.
The image problem couldn’t come at a worse time for Spanian’s Kebabs, which is gearing up to launch on Newtown’s ultra-competitive King Street – a brutal strip where eateries often fail fast, including the site’s previous tenant, Mr Potato.
‘He used to be about the streets – now he’s just another influencer flogging food,’ one critic posted in a popular TikTok comment.
This follows a major setback earlier in the year, when arsonists torched one of his Melbourne trucks just days before its Preston grand opening.
Firefighters were called to the scene after the trailer was doused in accelerant and set on fire.
These days, Spanian looks more like a Bondi influencer than a bloke who spent 13 years in prison and made a fortune marketing himself on YouTube as a reformed street philosopher
Spanian brushed off the attack, claiming it was ‘the biggest turnout we’ve ever had’.
The YouTuber spent 13 years in prison for robbery, assaults and drug offences before reinventing himself as a social media personality with more than a million followers, posting videos about Sydney’s ‘notorious neighbourhoods’ and his streetwise redemption story.
But in the wake of his cosmetic procedures and newfound influencer lifestyle, many of his biggest fans fear he’s lost the raw edge that made him famous in the first place.
‘He was the voice of the streets,’ one wrote. ‘Now he looks like he’s trying to join the cast of Love Island.’
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