Has Ryan Phillippe had enough of the Australian papparazzi, and abandoned plans to spend Christmas with girlfriend Abbie Cornish’s family?

Yesterday afternoon Cornish and Phillippe were photographed at Sydney Airport jetting out of Australia after just one week. Initial plans for the lovebirds had them here longer, with the couple intent on spending Christmas Day at the Cornish family’s farm in Lochinvar.

However, from the moment they arrived in Sydney, Phillippe and Cornish’s every move had been scrutinised by the media, with a band of paparazzi following their every step - even as they travelled north to Lennox Head for a few days R&R.

The attention climaxed last Tuesday night after the Calvin Klein party on Cockatoo Island when Phillippe was snapped lashing out at photographers, yelling at them to leave “me and my girl alone”.

However, the notorious Sydney pap Jamie Fawcett told Private Sydney: “I would be happy to be photographed next to such a stunning, beautiful and composed woman . . . I don’t know what his problem was.”

Sydney Morning Herald

A more likely explanation for this is that Abbie and Ryan celebrated an early Christmas with her family, and now they’re returning to the United States to celebrate with his children. Reese Witherspoon seems like the type to make a big deal of the hoidays, so I’m guessing it’s an important tradition to their children Ava and Deacon.

Ryan might have gotten tired of the Australian paps calling him the wrong name.

The Hollywood hunk, who flew in on Sunday to spend Christmas with his Aussie girl Abbie Cornish, was referred to as Brian by the paparazzi at last night’s Calvin Klein fashion show.

Walking the ruby rug with his girlfriend of one year at the Cockatoo Island gala, Phillipe turned to her at one point and said “I think someone just called me Brian” amid shouts of just that.

Adelaide Advertiser

Obviously we’re a little short of A-list celebrities here – Nicole Kidman is only in town a few weeks a year, and Cate Banchett, Hugh Jackman and Kylie Minogue also all spend a lot of time overseas. When an celebrity comes to visit everyone seems to know about it, and they are chased mercilessly. I can imagine it could get tiring very quickly. You would think they’d do their research about who they were photographing though, and attempt to get their name right.

Pictures are of Ryan and Abbie arriving at LAX on 12/22/08. Credit: Fame Pictures