The Today show has been teasing her anticipated karaoke performance for the past week.
And after Karl Stefanovic recently admitted he may have ‘angered female viewers’, his sister-in-law, news reporter Sylvia Jeffreys, performed a rendition of ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ on Thursday for charity.
Dressed in a bouffant wig and 1980s style dress, the 31-year-old covered the Bonnie Tyler classic to raise money for Queensland-based charity Youngcare.
Is this the moment the Today show officially died? Sylvia Jeffreys wears a wig and belts out ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ in car crash karaoke moment after Karl Stefanovic admitted he had ‘angered’ female viewers
Sylvia accepted the challenge after Karl committed to donating $2,000 to Youngcare, dedicated to helping to get young people out of aged care.
Ahead of the segment, Karl joked he was worried Sylvia, who is married to his brother Peter, would perform and ‘sully’ the reputation of his family name.
‘I had a phone conference, a phone call with my brother last night, Peter, who is happily married to Sylvia,’ he said.
Cause: Sylvia accepted the challenge after co-host Karl Stefanovic committed to donating $2,000 to Youngcare, dedicated to helping to get young people out of aged care
Joking: Ahead of the segment, Karl joked he was worried Sylvia, who is married to his brother Peter, would perform and ‘sully’ the reputation of his family name
‘We are concerned that by doing this she may sully and water down the terrific brand Stefanovic name and we are worried,’ he continued.
‘How do I have that conversation with her because we don’t want the name to be sullied,’ he repeated.
Supported by the Australian Girls Choir and fellow Nine Network personality David Campbell, Sylvia said she was ‘filled with nerves’ leading up to her performance.
Anticipation: Supported by the Australian Girls Choir and fellow Nine Network personality David Campbell, Sylvia said she was ‘filled with nerves’ leading up to her performance
She described it as a ‘mission accomplished’, having raised $15,000 for Youngcare and pleading with viewers to help get the total to $20,000 by the end of the day.
‘It is for a very good cause, a very good reason, I promise I’m not just doing this to live out a lifelong dream of being a rock star!’ she told viewers.
She revealed she hadn’t been able to sleep in the lead-up to the segment, explaining how she would go to bed every night ‘with the song in a loop in my head’.
Jokingly calling it ‘all Karl’s fault’ in a column penned for 9news.com.au afterwards, Sylvia wrote she felt ‘minutes away from total humiliation’ before the karaoke song.
‘Did I mention I’m a shocking singer, verging on tone deaf?’ she acknowledged.
‘It is for a very good cause, a very good reason, I promise I’m not just doing this to live out a lifelong dream of being a rock star!’ she told viewers
Sylvia’s performance for charity comes after Karl admitted to Stellar magazine his public relationship woes left ‘some women out there angry’.
The father of three, who announced his break-up with ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn in October 2016, opened up about taking a hit with female viewers after the split.
‘I know… maybe there are some women out there who are angry with me, but I’ve never tried to be anything other than myself,’ he said.
Opening up: Sylvia’s performance for charity no doubt pleased female viewers after Karl admitted to Stellar magazine his public relationship woes left ‘some women out there angry’
‘I have to hope that the audience, and particularly females if that is true, that one day they’re OK and they come back and say “I’m giving him another go”,’ he added.
Sylvia’s rendition of the song comes after Today previously struggled in the ratings against TV rival Sunrise.
However, the program is steadily making a comeback in the ratings war against Sunrise, climbing back in recent weeks.
Challenging: Sylvia’s rendition of the song comes after Today previously struggled in the ratings against TV rival Sunrise
In the last two weeks Today has performed better than Sunrise, coming out on top nine times in 12 days.
Previously Today’s ratings had struggled behind rivals Sunrise, particularly in regional areas, as host Karl’s personal life and new relationship made headlines.
Audience figures showed Nine’s breakfast show being regularly battered in the ratings by Channel Seven’s flagship, which was notably getting strong support outside of the five-city metro market.
‘I have to hope that the audience, and particularly females if that is true, that one day they’re OK and they come back and say “I’m giving him another go”,’ he added.