Their departures from Studio 10 have sent shock waves through the TV industry.
And now the real reasons why Jessica Rowe and Ita Buttrose left the show have been revealed.
‘It’s starting to look a lot like rats leaving a sinking ship,’ a source told Woman’s Day on Monday.
‘It’s starting to look a lot like rats leaving a sinking ship’: Why Ita Buttrose (pictured) and Jessica Rowe REALLY resigned from Studio 10
The publication reports that media icon Ita, 76, was ‘insulted’ after she failed to score the royal wedding presenting gig, with Lisa Wilkinson and Angela Bishop getting the role.
‘It was a huge snub to a legend,’ the source said.
They added: ‘Execs were trying to convince Ita to stay but once she found out she wouldn’t be covering the royal wedding, she wanted nothing more to do with Ten.’
Moving on: Pictured is Jessica Rowe. She reportedly left the show as she realised the show was ‘in decline’
The publication also reports that Ita ‘felt ignored’ on the show, and struggled with the ‘fallout’ from the brussels sprout incident with co-star Denise Drysdale.
The pair reportedly had ‘bad blood’ which wouldn’t go away.
Meanwhile, Jessica Rowe reportedly left the show because she realised the show was ‘in decline.’
‘Jess is a TV veteran and the show hasn’t been working for at least six months, so while she does want to spend more time being a mum, I think she also realised it was a good time to walk away,’ the source said.
Unhappy: The publication reports that media icon Ita, 76, was ‘insulted’ after she failed to score the royal wedding presenting gig, ‘felt ignored’ on the show, and struggled withe the ‘fallout’ from the Brussels sprout incident
Jessica’s last day on Studio 10 was at the end of March, with the TV star tearing up as she said goodbye to her colleagues and fans.
She said she was leaving the show as she wants to spend more time with her family, including her daughters with Peter Overton.
In the final segment of the show, Jessica shared some parting words with the studio audience and fans watching at home.
‘It has been such a hard position, but you can see that I have got my beautiful girls by my side and time has come for a change,’ she said.
Before being told to wrap up her speech, Jessica said the most special part about working on Studio 10 was the friendships she made with the panellists and crew.
Ita meanwhile, said she was leaving the show to spend more time with her grandchildren, and to focus on her writing.
Onwards and upwards: On her final show, Jessica said: ‘It has been such a hard position, but you can see that I have got my beautiful girls by my side and time has come for a change’
New focus: Ita meanwhile, said she was leaving the show to spend more time with her grandchildren, and to focus on her writing
The full statement from the media icon – who was 2013’s Australian of the Year – read: ‘I have had a long involvement with Network Ten, stretching back many years.
‘I’ve had five great years on Studio 10, but it is time for me to move on and focus on other parts of my life, including spending more time with my grandchildren and writing.’
Tensions flared last November when Denise ‘hurled’ a Brussels sprout at Ita while filming a Christmas segment, The Daily Telegraph claimed at the time.
Ita later acknowledged the incident, telling the Kyle and Jackie O Show in February it was simply ‘shenanigans on the set’ but she didn’t ‘want to talk about it any longer’.
Feud? Tensions flared last November when Denise (pictured) ‘hurled’ a Brussels sprout at Ita while filming a Christmas segment, The Daily Telegraph claimed at the time
Denise also apologised for the incident, telling the Herald Sun: ‘I rang Ita for Christmas; we talk, we all get along. I did the wrong thing, it was totally my fault, I am sorry it happened.’
Meanwhile last week, Ita said the incident involved a bowl of sprouts, rather than just one, when speaking to KIIS FM’s Celeb HQ.
Studio 10’s executive producer Rob McKnight left the show soon after the Brussels sprouts incident and is now challenging his sacking in court. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting the events are related.
In a previous statement to Daily Mail Australia, Network Ten strongly denied claims there was tension between Ita and Drysdale, labelling the allegations ‘offensive’.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted a representative of Ten for comment in relation to this article.
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