According to recent reports, Luke Sayers is being sued for defamation by his estranged wife, Cate Sayers.

The Australian Financial Review has revealed that Cate accuses Luke of suggesting she was behind the posting of an inappropriate photo on his social media profile in January of the previous year.

It is reported that this accusation by Luke Sayers was allegedly included in a statutory declaration submitted to the AFL Commission’s integrity unit last year.

A representative for Cate Sayers confirmed that a defamation lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, though specific details remain undisclosed.

Luke Sayers resigned as President of the Carlton Football Club in January 2025 following the controversial appearance of a lewd image on his X account on January 8.

Luke Sayers is facing a defamation lawsuit from his own wife, Cate Sayers, according to a new report. Pictured together in 2024 

A spokesperson for Cate (pictured), confirmed a defamation lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, but did not disclose the details

The image had notably tagged a female executive from Bupa, one of Carlton’s main sponsors.

Sayers vehemently denied that he had posted the image, claiming his account had been hacked. 

It had later emerged that Bupa cancelled its naming rights arrangement for the team’s Run for Respect charity event in February. However, Bupa confirmed it would continue its relationship with the Blues. 

The health organisation added in a statement: ‘Bupa continues to prioritise the wellbeing, privacy and safety of our employee.’

The former PwC executive was later cleared by the AFL’s Integrity Unit in January but opted to step down from his role with the AFL club, just minutes after the commission had found he was not responsible for sending the sexual image.

Carlton had appointed Christopher Townsend KC to lead an investigation into the incident, but closed the matter after Sayers had resigned. 

Sayers had been with the club for 12 years before handing in his resignation.

In April, it was revealed that Cate had left Luke in the wake of the lewd photo saga. 

Sayers quit his post with the Blues effective immediately on January 22, with the announcement coming just minutes after the AFL Integrity Unit found he was not responsible for the sending of the sexual image. Pictured in 2024

It came after the former Carlton executive was spotted on a dinner date with a mystery blonde woman. He was pictured with the unnamed woman at Melbourne’s Geppetto Trattoria restaurant and had put plans in place to buy a new apartment close to the city centre.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for his estranged wife, confirmed that a claim had been lodged against her husband.

‘We can confirm that proceedings have been commenced in the Supreme Court of Victoria,’ the spokesperson told the Australian Financial Review. 

‘As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate to comment further.’ 

There is no suggestion by Daily Mail that Sayers had blamed Cate for posting the lewd photo. There is also no suggestion that Cate was responsible for publishing the photograph on X. 

A friend of the Sayers family said Cate Sayers left her husband in order to put their children first after the publication of the graphic sexual image on January 9.

‘Cate is a strong person, but also a realist,’ one of her friends told News Corp.

‘She has understandably prioritised protecting the family. Now she knows it is the right time for a fresh start.’ 

The news comes after Sayers’ wife left him and he was seen having dinner with a mystery blonde woman three months after his stunning resignation. Pictured together in 2024

Sayers noticed the development after the photo had been online for 12 minutes, at which point he hastily deleted the image and apologised to his followers, stating he had been targeted by cyber criminals.

‘Sorry, my account has been hacked – please ignore all posts,’ he wrote.

The father-of-four’s account, which had more than 7,300 followers, was deleted but the post had already been reposted and screen-grabbed by other X users.

He told Daily Mail he was ‘outraged’ by the alleged attack when the news first broke.

‘This is outrageous. I’m investigating and will leave no stone unturned in finding out who did this to me and my family,’ he said.

The AFL and Carlton later said his account was compromised and no further investigation would take place.

In addition to quitting as Blues president, Sayers also announced he would step back as chairman of his consulting company, Sayers Group. 

The firm rebranded to become Tenet, with Sayers listed on the advisory and investment group’s website as a director. 

Daily Mail has contacted Sayers for comment.