Tracy Grimshaw opens up about Don Burke interview on ACA

Tracy Grimshaw was anxious about Don Burke’s wife before she grilled him on A Current Affair.

The Nine Network veteran of 36 years sat down to interview the former Burke’s Backyard host last week, only three hours after he agreed to answer questions about sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by a string of women.

Grimshaw has revealed Burke’s wife had told her, ahead of that interview, that her husband of nearly 50 years had been unfaithful.

Tracy Grimshaw decided to refrain from pressing Don Burke on his extramarital affairs

She was worried this issue hadn’t been resolved with Marea, who was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.

Grimshaw, who interviewed the couple in 2015 about her illness, recalled being concerned for Marea Burke last week.

‘Please don’t tell me that you sorted that out in the last week, please tell me that you sorted that out a long time ago,’ Grimshaw told The Australian.

However, she didn’t broach the 70-year-old former TV host’s adultery when she interviewed him at his Kenhurst home, in Sydney’s north-west on Monday afternoon last week.

‘I didn’t see that as relevant to allegations that were being levelled against him that day,’ Grimshaw told the newspaper.

Grimshaw said Burke, who hosted his own top-rating program from 1987 to 2004, had never behaved unprofessionally towards her.

Marea Burke, who appeared on ACA with her husband in 2015, told Tracy Grimshaw off-camera last week her husband had cheated on her

Face-to-face: Tracy Grimshaw interviewed Don Burke about the allegations made against him

She added that while they didn’t socialise, it appeared Burke thought she would be conducting a soft interview.

‘He probably felt we had established a rapport and I would give him the most sympathetic hearing; that’s why he chose to speak with me,’ Grimshaw said. 

Last week, Grimshaw revealed Burke was polite during the interview in his lounge room.  

Speaking to KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O Show, she said her former Nine Network colleague was ‘shell-shocked’.  

‘Look. It was polite, we were polite with each other all the way through,’ Tracy said.

‘I just think he was a bit shell-shocked.’

The journalist said he had agreed to the interview considering that they had previously worked together at the same network.

After the tense interview wrapped, and they sat there awkwardly, Tracy revealed Burke thought she ‘would have been more sympathetic’.

‘But it couldn’t be more sympathetic. We had to go to the core of unpleasantries.’

‘He would have expected that’: ‘I think he probably would have expected that… But it couldn’t be more sympathetic. We had to go to the core of unpleasantries,’ she insisted

Grimshaw said Burke shouldn’t have been so naive.

‘You know, that’s just what we had to do and I think he’s enough of a realist that he should have understood that,’ she said. 

She was also surprised he didn’t defend himself against a series of serious accusations. 

‘And I said to him: “Don, if you have a defence you need to mount your defence now, now’s the opportunity to do it”,’ she said.

‘And he said no, no I won’t do it publicly, and because he won’t do it publicly, all that stuff stayed off the record. You can read into that what you will, really.’

‘He should have understood that’: ‘You know, that’s just what we had to do and I think he’s enough of a realist that he should have understood that,’ she added

Grudges: When the cameras were off: ‘He alluded to grudges [in the interview] and he did give me more information privately about the alleged ‘grudges”

‘You need to mount your defense’: ‘And I said to him: ‘Don, if you have a defense [against these claims] you need to mount your defense now, now’s the opportunity to do it’ – but he declined

Last week, Don admitted to adultery and being an overbearing boss but denied numerous sexual harassment allegations against him.

The former host of Burke’s Backyard is accused by dozens of women of indecent assault and making lewd comments during his program’s 17-year run.

The gardening expert admitted he was a terrifying boss, had multiple affairs, and claimed to suffer from Asperger’s.

However, he strenuously denied ‘all that sleazy sexual stuff’ and described his accusers as ‘malcontents’ who ‘bear grudges against me’. 

‘You can read into that what you will, really’: She concluded: ‘And he said no, no I won’t do it publicly, and because he won’t do it publicly, all that stuff stayed off the record’

Accusations: The former host of Burke’s Backyard is accused by dozens of women of indecent assault and making lewd comments over his program’s 17-year run

Denied: The 70-year-old TV star admitted he was a terrifying boss, had multiple affairs, and claimed to suffer from Asperger’s, however, he strenuously denied ‘all that sleazy sexual stuff’