Sia and Bernard's union began amid whispers of romance in late 2021, when they were first spotted together at the Los Angeles premiere of Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. At the time, both masked their faces – a nod to Sia's signature anonymity – but insiders described an instant connection. Bernard, then a practicing oncologist specializing in radiation therapy, brought stability to Sia's often chaotic world of touring and songwriting. By December 2022, they had quietly legalized their marriage in a low-key Los Angeles ceremony, followed by an intimate vow renewal in May 2023 at Dolce & Gabbana's opulent Villa Olivetta in Portofino, Italy. Only six guests attended the Italian affair, held at the same cliffside estate where Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker wed a year earlier. Photos from the event, leaked sparingly, showed the couple exchanging rings against a backdrop of Ligurian Sea sunsets, with Sia opting for a simple white gown and Bernard in a tailored suit.
Their early years together blended domestic bliss with entrepreneurial ambition. In 2021, before their legal marriage, the couple co-founded Modern Medicine, a Los Angeles-based ketamine infusion clinic aimed at treating mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Ketamine therapy has surged in popularity in recent years, endorsed by celebrities from Elon Musk to Matthew Perry for its rapid antidepressant effects. Bernard, leveraging his medical expertise, served as the clinic's clinical director, while Sia provided funding and advocacy, drawing from her own well-documented struggles with addiction, bipolar disorder, and chronic pain from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The venture symbolized their shared vision: merging Sia's platform for mental health awareness with Bernard's clinical acumen. "We wanted to create a space where people could access innovative treatments without stigma," Sia once hinted in a 2022 Instagram post, though she rarely elaborated publicly.
By purportingBy March 2024, their family expanded with the birth of Somersault Wonder Bernard, an 18-month-old whose existence remained a closely guarded secret until Sia's divorce filing. Somersault – whose gender has not been disclosed – joined Sia's two adopted sons, now 24-year-old twins she welcomed into her home in 2019 as they aged out of the foster care system. The singer's commitment to adoption stemmed from her own turbulent youth in Adelaide, Australia, where she navigated a broken home and early substance abuse. In a 2020 GQ interview, Sia declared herself "done with relationships" post-adoption, only to pivot dramatically with Bernard. Somersault's arrival via surrogacy, as implied in court papers, marked a joyful chapter, with the couple reportedly spending their first months as parents in quiet seclusion at their 9,500-square-foot Toluca Lake mansion.
Cracks in the facade appeared swiftly, however. On March 19, 2025, Sia filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court, listing March 18 as their separation date – a mere 26 months after their legal wedding. The petition cited "irreconcilable differences," California's no-fault grounds for dissolution, and sought sole legal and physical custody of Somersault, though Sia indicated openness to Bernard's visitation rights. Notably, she requested the court terminate any spousal support obligations to her ex-husband, hinting at a possible prenuptial agreement – though neither party has confirmed its existence. The filing stunned fans, as the couple had maintained a near-total media blackout on their relationship. Sia's last public glimpse of Bernard came in February 2025 at a New York City event, where they appeared arm-in-arm, faces partially obscured.
Enter Bernard's counter-filing on October 10, 2025, which paints a starkly different picture of marital discord. Unemployed since April 2025 and with "almost nothing" in his bank account, Bernard attributes his financial straits to Sia's influence. He alleges she disliked his 80-hour oncology shifts and urged him to quit in favor of the ketamine clinic, which he formally left behind in 2021. Now, with Sia having "ceased all funding" for Modern Medicine – a move Bernard claims crippled the business – he says his medical license has lapsed, requiring "several years of training" to reinstate. "Orders are necessary at this time because I am financially dependent on Sia," he wrote, dubbing her the "breadwinner" of their union. To underscore the disparity, Bernard detailed their extravagances: monthly expenses topping $400,000 to $500,000 on private jet charters to Europe, Michelin-starred dinners, and a household staff of 10 to 12, including a butler, two personal chefs, a stylist, dual masseuses, an IT specialist, and a housekeeper. Among the perks? A post-wedding Porsche 911 Targa 4 gifted by Sia, now a symbol of the life he seeks to preserve.
Beyond support, Bernard's requests include $300,000 for his attorney's fees and $200,000 for forensic accounting to dissect the couple's assets – a sum he argues is essential to "level the playing field" against Sia's formidable resources. Sia's net worth, estimated at $75 million by Forbes in 2024 from album sales, songwriting credits (including for Rihanna and Beyoncé), and her directorial debut Music, remains partially redacted in filings. Yet Bernard asserts she "has the ability to pay," pointing to her Ongoing projects, including a teased 2026 album and ketamine advocacy.
This isn't Sia's first brush with marital dissolution. Her 2014 union with filmmaker Erik Anders Lang ended in 2016 after two years, plunging her into a three-year bout of severe depression that she later chronicled in therapy sessions and her 2021 memoir The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. "That divorce threw me for a loop," she told Zane Lowe on Apple Music in 2023. "I was in bed for three years, severely depressed." The fallout fueled her pivot to sobriety and adoption, but also amplified her reclusive tendencies. Post-Lang, Sia vowed celibacy and singledom, only for Bernard to rekindle her faith in partnership. Their story echoed a redemption arc – until it didn't.
Public reaction has been a mix of sympathy and scrutiny. On X (formerly Twitter), fans dissected the filings with hashtags like #SiaDivorce and #KetamineClinicDrama, some praising Bernard's candor on gender roles in celebrity marriages, others decrying the sums as "entitlement." One viral thread from entertainment blogger @wigsandtea_ highlighted the irony: "Sia built an empire on vulnerability, but her private life's a fortress – until the lawyers breach it." Meanwhile, Sia's silence speaks volumes; her last post, a cryptic lyric snippet from an unreleased track, garnered 2.5 million likes without addressing the turmoil.
Legal experts predict a protracted fight. California family law favors temporary support to preserve lifestyles during proceedings, but Sia's no-support request could hinge on prenup terms or proof of Bernard's employability. Custody, too, looms large: Somersault's tender age may tilt toward Sia, but Bernard's visitation bid underscores his paternal stake. As Modern Medicine hangs in limbo – its website still active but treatments paused – the clinic's fate could factor into asset division, especially if Sia's funding pull is deemed retaliatory.
For Sia, this chapter intersects a career renaissance. Fresh off a 2025 Grammy nod for her collaboration with Billie Eilish on "What Was I Made For?" from the Barbie soundtrack, she's reportedly scouting directors for a biopic on her life. Yet the divorce's shadow – amplified by July 2025 paparazzi shots of Sia hand-in-hand with 28-year-old reality star Harry Jowsey – has fueled rebound rumors, adding tabloid fodder to an already raw narrative. Jowsey, known from Netflix's Too Hot to Handle, was spotted filming a dating show nearby, but sources insist the hand-holding was platonic.
At its core, the Bernard-Sia saga reflects broader tensions in high-net-worth divorces: the clash between privacy and public production, ambition and domesticity, vulnerability and armor. As court dates loom – a hearing is scheduled for November 15 – one thing is clear: the woman who sang of elastic hearts may need every ounce of resilience. For now, Somersault remains the innocent pivot, a tiny wonder caught in the crossfire of faded vows and fortified walls.
