Lisa Wilkinson reveals friend’s death gave her perspective

Lisa Wilkinson says she found ‘perspective’ in the death of an old friend who inspired her

Veteran journalist Lisa Wilkinson has had a tumultuous few weeks.

She quit the Today Show in spectacular fashion last week, and announced her new role with Channel Ten almost immediately. 

Her decision, and subsequent headlines suggesting the shock split was because she was unable to achieve pay parity with co-host Karl Stefanovic, left her the new poster girl for feminism. 

Suddenly, she was confronted by men and women in the street, who wanted to share their opinions on her choices, and found her face in every news outlet. 

‘Being the subject of this much attention feels, well, just a little out of whack,’ she wrote in a column for the Huffington Post.

But the 57-year-old said she was humbled by the recent death of an old friend, who lost her short battle with cancer last week.

Ms Wilkinson met Rebecka Delforce while working at Cleo, early in her journalism career. She said her friend was ‘beautiful, feisty and fearless’.

Ms Wilkinson  has been approached relentlessly by fans and reporters following her shock announcement, with the attention leaving her feeling 'a little out of whack'

Ms Wilkinson has been approached relentlessly by fans and reporters following her shock announcement, with the attention leaving her feeling ‘a little out of whack’

Ms Wilkinson said the sudden death of her old friend Rebecka Delforce (pictured) helped her reclaim perspective on her worries

Ms Wilkinson said the sudden death of her old friend Rebecka Delforce (pictured) helped her reclaim perspective on her worries

Ms Wilkinson and Rebecka worked together at Cleo in the early days of the veteran journalist's media career

Ms Wilkinson and Rebecka worked together at Cleo in the early days of the veteran journalist’s media career

Rebecka rose through the magazine ranks at speed, before a trip to Tanzania changed her life forever. 

After travelling back and forth between Australia and Africa, Rebecka and her fiance Darren moved over there permanently to build a refuge for women and children affected by the AIDS crisis. 

She lost the love of her life to a gunman in the foreign country, and returned home nine years ago to grieve, the horrific memories leaving her unable to move back to Tanzania.

Just five weeks ago, she was diagnosed with cancer, and after a short battle with the disease, she died last week. 

Rebecka and her fiance Darren had built a refuge for women and children in Tanzania during the AIDS crisis

Rebecka and her fiance Darren had built a refuge for women and children in Tanzania during the AIDS crisis

It has been widely reported Ms Wilkinson left because her salary did not match that of Today Show co-host Karl Stefanovic

It has been widely reported Ms Wilkinson left because her salary did not match that of Today Show co-host Karl Stefanovic

Ms Wilkinson said her own dilemmas paled in comparison to the tumultuous journey her friend Rebecka had been on, and closed the column asking readers to donate to the Wedgetail Hospice which homed her friend in her final days. 

The column is her first as editor at large for the Huffington Post in more than six weeks. 

Her role with the online publication was mentioned in her battle with Nine executives, with Hugh Marks telling The Daily Telegraph the deal had ’caused increasing friction’.

He explained the issue was her work for the website: ‘restricts [Nine’s] ability to engage with her digitally’.

Ms Wilkinson will start her new job on The Project early next year, hosting the show on Sunday nights and starring on the panel alongside Carrie Bickmore, Waleed Aly and Peter Helliar during the week. 

As news of the gap between Ms Wilkinson and Stefanovic's salaries spread, Nine CEO Hugh Marks said Ms Wilkinson's column for the Huffington Post had caused 'increasing friction'

As news of the gap between Ms Wilkinson and Stefanovic’s salaries spread, Nine CEO Hugh Marks said Ms Wilkinson’s column for the Huffington Post had caused ‘increasing friction’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk