‘There has never been bad blood’: Georgie Gardner denies that she and Karl Stefanovic ‘could not stand each other’ and reveals she was consulted about who should replace him
The Today show’s Georgie Gardner has attempted to set the record straight about her rumoured feud with former co-host, Karl Stefanovic.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, the 48-year-old revealed that she had been in contact with Karl after he was unceremoniously dumped from the program in December.
‘He and I have chatted extensively and there certainly never has been bad blood, despite what has been written, and there certainly isn’t now,’ she said.
‘There has never been bad blood’: Georgie Gardner denies that she and Karl Stefanovic (pictured) ‘could not stand each other’ and reveals she was consulted about who should replace him
After Georgie was handed the top job in 2017, ‘inside sources’ at Nine reportedly told The Sunday Telegraph that the pair ‘cannot stand one another.’
Tensions reportedly reached a pinnacle in March, after Karl was overheard during an Uber ride, ‘angrily’ complaining about Georgie and warning his brother Peter that her future on Channel Nine’s breakfast program was in doubt unless she ‘stepped up’.
But Georgie is adamant that any animosity between the pair was just baseless hearsay.
‘He and I know each other very well. I have a lot of love for him and we have a very solid friendship and respect and I am excited for him in terms of the next chapter of his personal and professional life,’ she told The Daily Telegraph this weekend.
The best of mates! Georgie claims that any animosity between the pair was just baseless hearsay
Admitting that she was consulted on who should replace him, Georgie said that she had nothing but admiration for Deborah Knight, 46, who will be debuting in the role on Monday.
After if was announced that Deborah would be stepping into the coveted job, many people took to twitter to question the ‘equality’ of an all-female line up on the show.
But Georgie brushed these concerns aside, pointing out that it is common practice in the US.
In her corner: Admitting that she was consulted on who should replace him, Georgie said that she had nothing but admiration for Deborah Knight
‘It is about time, don’t you think?’ she simply said.
Deborah was chosen over a long list of contenders for the top job, including Brenton Ragless and Ben Fordham.
Tom Steinfort, 33, has also been announced as newsreader, replacing Sylvia Jeffreys, who was recently let go from Today, amid months of poor ratings.
After months of speculation, Karl Stefanovic was finally been dumped from the Today show in mid-December.
New Look: Deborah will join Georgie in leading the new era of the Today show alongside Melbourne newsreader Tom Steinfort