Lisa Wilkinson kicks off her ‘payback tour’ as she goes barefoot to promote her memoir in Adelaide

Lisa Wilkinson kicked off her national book tour for her memoir, It Wasn’t Meant to Be Like This, in Adelaide on Wednesday.

The Sunday Project host, 62, looked stylish in a long red dress as she promoted her memoir at a women’s business lunch.

Wilkinson completed her look with a navy blazer and went barefoot as she held her shoes and left the event.

The TV host carried a brown bag and wore statement gold earrings as she chatted to a friend outside the venue.

Wilkinson left her short brunette locks out and opted for a neutral palette of makeup for the event.

It comes after Wilkinson reportedly wants ‘payback’ on the press for fact-checking her tell-all book, reports The Australian.

Stylish: The Sunday Project host, 62, looked stylish in a long red dress as she promoted her memoir at a women’s business lunch

Final look: Wilkinson completed her look with a navy blazer and went barefoot as she held her shoes and left the event

Accessories: The TV host carried a brown bag and wore statement gold earrings as she chatted to a friend outside the venue

She will address criticism of her memoir – including allegations she omitted key details about her pay dispute with former employer Channel Nine – during her national book tour.

Wilkinson will also set the record straight on ‘some of the stories behind the headlines you might have read about in recent months’ when she addresses a series of high-profile breakfasts for the women’s networking group Business Chicks.

In her book, she made a series of claims about her former Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic and how she left Nine over a reported gender pay gap dispute.

Beauty: Wilkinson left her short brunette locks out and opted for a neutral palette of makeup for the event

Payback: It comes after Wilkinson reportedly wants ‘payback’ on the press for fact-checking her tell-all book, reports The Australian

She claimed the pay disparity between her and Stefanovic when they hosted the breakfast show was once ‘so off the charts that no-one would have believed it’.

However, it was later reported that Wilkinson had actually earned more than Stefanovic for years at the start of their on-air partnership, and it wasn’t until Seven tried to poach Stefanovic that he was able to negotiate the bigger salary.

Wilkinson failed to mention this important detail in her memoir, instead focusing on the pay disparity during her later years at the helm of Today.

In her book, she alleged Stefanovic had proposed in August 2015 they join forces to renegotiate their Nine contracts – not unlike how the cast of American sitcom Friends famously worked together to broker better deals with NBC.

Response: She will address criticism of her memoir – including allegations she omitted key details about her pay dispute with former employer Channel Nine – during her national book tour

Tour: Wilkinson will also set the record straight on ‘some of the stories behind the headlines you might have read about in recent months’ when she addresses a series of high-profile breakfasts for the women’s networking group Business Chicks

But she claims he ended up ditching this idea and instead played rival networks Nine and Seven off against each other in order to secure a better deal for himself.

‘Weeks later… the media became awash with stories that Stefanovic was restless at Today and looking for greener pastures – and more civilised working hours – at Channel Seven,’ she wrote.

Stefanovic was soon at the centre of a bidding war between Nine and Seven that resulted in him re-signing a five-year deal with Nine worth at least $2million per year.

Wilkinson’s deal was worth significantly less, about $780,000 a year, and was only for two years.

‘There was no doubt about it: Karl certainly knew the art of the deal,’ she wrote.

Lifting the lid: In her book, Wilkinson made a series of claims about her former Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic and how she left Nine over a reported gender pay gap dispute

Missing facts: However, it was later reported that Wilkinson had actually earned more than Stefanovic (left) for years at the start of their on-air partnership, and it wasn’t until Seven tried to poach Stefanovic that he was able to negotiate the bigger salary