Is this proof RFK Jr, 70, has split from actress wife Cheryl Hines, 59, over 'affair' with journalist Olivia Nuzzi, 31?

RFK Jr. has been noticeably absent from two major family milestone events in recent days in the aftermath of his sexting scandal - adding fuel to claims that he could have split from his wife. 

The 70-year-old former 2024 presidential candidate was missing from both his wife Cheryl Hines' birthday dinner and his niece Grace Kennedy Allen's wedding party following his affair with young journalist Olivia Nuzzi. 

Hines celebrated her 59th birthday alongside her daughter Catherine Rose Young, 20, and stepdaughter Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy, 29, in Milan on Saturday night, while Allen held pre-wedding festivities in Massachusetts the same day. 

RFK Jr's noticeable no-show to both events comes as Hines was also spotted without her large diamond wedding ring on over the same weekend. 

The Curb Your Enthusiasm actress shared precious moments from her birthday via Instagram. Dressed in a white lace turtleneck top and black pants, she captioned the photo of herself with her daughters: 'Me & my girls', while RFK was nowhere in sight.

His 30-year-old niece Allen was also seen diving into the water with her cousins and other family members on the same day to celebrate her upcoming marriage.  

Page Six photographs show Ted Kennedy's granddaughter leaping into Hyannis Harbor along with several other members of the Kennedy clan during a rainstorm. 

Meanwhile, New York Magazine placed Nuzzi, 31, on leave after details of the affair emerged. 

Nuzzi admitted in a statement to DailyMail.com that 'the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal', but she claimed the relationship was never physical.

Days later, a 2015 tweet she wrote came back to haunt her - as eagle-eyed social media users unearthed a post she made asking: 'Why does Hollywood think female reporters sleep with their sources?' alongside a link to a NYMag story. 

Nuzzi's relations with the political heavyweight began when she visited his $7 million California home to write a feature article last year. RFK Jr., 70, has insisted he only met the political journalist on this one occasion. 

'Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece,' his spokesman told CNN. 

A source added that the nature of the relationship was 'emotional and digital in nature, not physical'.

But insiders told the New York Post the pair had engaged in 'sexting' despite RFK Jr. being married and Nuzzi being engaged at the time.

'Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal,' Nuzzi said.

'During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source,' she said. 

'The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I've disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.' 

New York magazine acknowledged an inappropriate relationship in a statement about Nuzzi's hiatus, deeming it 'a violation of the magazine's standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures'.

'Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign,' the statement read. 'An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias. 

'She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review. We regret this violation of our readers' trust.'