Let the brekkie wars begin

LIFE has a funny way of providing perspective when you need it most - and for Rob McKnight, executive producer of Channel 10's Studio 10, it came in the shape of his infant daughter Genevieve.

LIFE has a funny way of providing perspective when you need it most - and for Rob McKnight, executive producer of Channel 10's new mid-morning program Studio 10, it came in the shape of his infant daughter Genevieve.

With pressure levels already sky-high ahead of tomorrow's hotly anticipated launch of Ten's breakfast show Wake Up and its sister morning show, McKnight has revealed his one-year-old had open-heart surgery last week.

The little battler has been an inspiration to her parents after she was born with a hole in her heart, then defied doctors' expectations for her recovery by waking up from surgery within 24 hours of the emergency operation.

Not stopping there, Genevieve fought her way out of intensive care within four days and is now happily recovering at home.

Understandably, McKnight has been soldiering on with little sleep, supporting his baby and getting his other "child", Studio 10, ready for its first day.

McKnight admitted "it's been pretty hard, I've got to tell you, but we're made of strong stuff". Indeed.

SARAH PUTS A RING ON IT

IN other news to celebrate, Studio 10's anchor Sarah Harris has confirmed she is set to marry after long-time boyfriend Tom Ward popped the question just days before she began her new TV gig.

Harris, in her hilarious style, says she was "being a bit of a brat" and refusing to go along with Ward's attempts to use her switch to Ten as the excuse to wine and dine his bride-to-be when he surprised her with the proposal.

After a romantic meal at the Mosman restaurant where they shared their first date, "Big Red" (Harris's nickname for her flame-haired IT company director bloke) talked her into a stroll along Balmoral beach. "We were sitting on a bench, watching these teenagers mack on (kiss) and the next minute, he got down on his knee, pulled the ring out of his hanky and asked me to marry him. I said yes and cried and it was lovely."

Not the "bridey type", Harris has set a date for July next year, so expect a few wedding prep stories on the show between now and then.

Publisher, personality and Moore Park resident Ita Buttrose.

OH DEAR, ITA'S SET TO SHOCK

AFTER that smokin' hot appearance in Style magazine last week, Ita Buttrose is sexy and she knows it.

But her bedroom confessions during rehearsals for Studio 10 have left her colleague Joe Hildebrand awestruck.

Harris shared the Australian Of The Year's set secrets when Buttrose and co-host Jessica Rowe interviewed a sex therapist about orgasms.

"Joe and I were off to the side watching on, then they came back to the panel and Ita sighed 'oh I'm so horny after that' and we just looked at each other and said 'this is not going to be like any other show we've seen before'. It was really interesting to see someone shut Joe up like that ... he was just left dumbstruck."

Dawn French.

DAWN OF NEW BREAKFAST ERA

DESPITE a "we're not afraid" chorus from the incumbent breakfast programs on Seven and Nine, the TV rivals have been unified in their strategy to deal with the new competition from 10's Wake Up - by throwing cash at the problem.

Today has upped its viewer loyalty prizes and thrown in a car giveaway, while Sunrise is now playing double or nothing with its Cash Cow promotion.

Channel 9 was also boasting an exclusive with Australia's Got Talent judge Dawn French to give her only Australian TV interview "while here" tomorrow.

Strange they haven't used French until now - with AGT well adrift in the ratings and Seven's Sunday Night already featuring her in its interview last month with her comic partner, Jennifer Saunders.

Over at 10, Wake Up's James Mathison says he and co-hosts Natarsha Belling and Natasha Exelby have made a pre-show pact to leave the numbers game to the bosses and focus on putting out their show after almost two weeks of "dress rehearsals".

"I think if you spend all your energy looking at numbers every morning it takes away from doing what we are supposed to do and that's make a great show," Mathison told Amy Harris .

"And honestly, I'd be much prouder making a great show that doesn't do so well than a bad show that kills it in the ratings. Though (Ten CEO) Hamish ( McLennan ) will probably kill me for saying that."

Sunrise weather presenter Edwina Bartholomew with Seven Perth's Fat Cat.

FELINE GOOD AT THE TELETHON

AND in scandalous late mail from last month's Channel 7 Telethon, Sunrise weather presenter Edwina Bartholomew found a (handsy) friend in children's TV favourite Fat Cat. Bartholomew explained the encounter: "I went for the high-five, he went for the low-five and we ended up somewhere in between.

"At least he was wearing pants, which is more than can be said for Humphrey."

Fat Cat refused to break his lifetime silence to comment.

NO CAROLS FOR KARL

KARL Stefanovic can get stuck into the eggnog early this year, after Nine confirmed he is to be replaced by Mornings co-host David Campbell for the annual Carols By Candlelight telecast.

Campbell will team up with Today's Lisa Wilkinson for the Christmas Eve tradition, in aid of Vision Australia and live from Melbourne's famous Myer Music Bowl. Campbell is expected to present and perform. Some may read into Stefanovic's leave pass as special treatment not always extended to his TV partner Wilkinson.