While rock icon Jimmy Barnes celebrated Christmas with his wife Jane amid the historic sights of Rome, his recently acknowledged daughter was facing a starkly different reality, homeless and sleeping in her car on the New South Wales coast.
A Stark Contrast in Fortunes
Katy Lee Carroll, 38, confirmed exclusively this week that she has been left without a home since August. After months of moving between the couches of family and friends, the mother-of-three is now reportedly sleeping in her vehicle in bushland near Coffs Harbour. Despite seeking help, she has been unable to secure emergency accommodation from housing support services.
This distressing situation stands in sharp contrast to the public images shared by her famous father. Barnes, 69, and his wife Jane, 67, posted photographs from their Italian holiday, including visits to Rome's Trevi Fountain and a trip to Naples. On Tuesday, the Cold Chisel frontman even shared a jovial clip of himself singing The Beatles' 'With a Little Help from My Friends', accompanied by Jane on guitar.
Family Ties and Troubled Times
Ms Carroll was publicly introduced as Barnes's daughter just days before Christmas in 2024, following contact from the media. In an Instagram post, Barnes described Christmas as "all about family" and welcomed Katy Lee, who had been in their lives for the preceding five years, as a "wonderful woman".
However, the past year has been immensely difficult for Ms Carroll. She was forced to leave her job in real estate after the tragic death of her 32-year-old sister, Samantha, in February 2025. In a heartfelt social media post, she described a pain "permanently etched" into her heart, writing that not a single day had passed without tears and memories of her sister's final moments.
Her three children are currently being cared for by her estranged husband, former rugby player AJ Gilbert. The couple sold their family home earlier in the year, with Ms Carroll posting in August about "new beginnings" and "closing chapters". An interim apprehended violence order is in place for her protection against Mr Gilbert, though it has not been heard in court and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his part.
A Silence from the Star's Camp
Three separate sources close to Ms Carroll have indicated that Jimmy Barnes is aware of her dire circumstances. When the Daily Mail put this to the singer's personal publicist, the response was brief and definitive: "We will not be making any comment on this story."
Ms Carroll's connection to the rock legend was revealed after a lifetime of uncertainty. She spent her first 15 years believing her mother's husband was her father, only to discover the truth after their divorce. After hiring a private investigator, her mother suggested on her 32nd birthday in 2019 that Jimmy Barnes might be her biological father.
The pair first met in February 2020 in Kingscliff, NSW. Ms Carroll, deeply concerned about the impact on Barnes's wife Jane, wrote a personal letter expressing her fears and hopes, which she handed to the couple during that initial meeting.
Barnes, a father of seven including Today Extra host David Campbell, has previously integrated other once-unknown children into his family. He confirmed paternity of two older daughters, Amanda Bennett and Megan Torzyn, via DNA tests in 2010. He was also named a joint Father of the Year in August 2024 by The Fathering Project advocacy group.
For now, Ms Carroll's hope is to find secure accommodation so she can be reunited with her children, while navigating a grief-stricken and unstable chapter far from the glamour of her father's world.
