Edwina Bartholomew on awkward flight with Seb Costello’s dad Peter
Two weeks after Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew took to Twitter to post an “errant” tweet about Nine news reporter Seb Costello — which she later apologised for — she was seated next to his dad, former treasurer Peter Costello, on a flight.
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Well that was awkward!
There’s two people Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew wouldn’t want to run into these days and it turns out she was seated next to one of them on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne for Sunrise’s coverage of the AFL grand final.
Two weeks after the heavily-pregnant presenter took to Twitter to post an “errant tweet” about controversial Nine news journalist Seb Costello, Sunday Confidential can reveal she was seated next to Costello’s father, former federal treasurer Peter on a flight.
Bartholomew is understood to have slept for the majority of the flight before sucking it up and introducing herself to the former politician, who just happens to be the chairman of Channel 9.
We hear it was a cordial exchange. Oh to have been a fly on the wall for that one.
“Of all the flights going from Sydney to Melbourne on grand final weekend, can you believe it?” one industry source said.
“It must have been meant to happen.”
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Less than a month ago, Bartholomew was swept up in a short-lived media storm after her Twitter post about Costello Jr.
Bartholomew replied to a video of Costello reporting outside the Victorian state parliament with a comment that she later deleted. It was then reported Channel 9 were in talks to decide how to proceed legally, with a possible defamation suit in the works.
The tweet stayed up for 50 minutes before it was deleted.
Bartholomew, who was on assignment in London at the time, said the tweet was due to fatigue and jet lag and she meant no offence.
“I was half asleep and on the other side of the world,” she said.
“My apologies to Seb and all involved. No offence was intended and hopefully none was taken. It was clearly a mistake and the errant tweet has been deleted.”
Costello, 32, made headlines in 2017 when he went on holidays for several weeks after missing a number of live crosses, with reports saying even his cameraman had no idea where he was.
Channel 9 said Costello was simply taking some “well-earned” leave as the European correspondent.