Gold Logie nominee Amanda Keller ‘struggling’ with Tom Gleeson’s dirty tactics

Amanda Keller isn’t amused by the smear campaign comedian Tom Gleeson has been running in a bid to win this year’s Gold Logie.

Amanda Keller has made it clear she’s not amused by Tom Gleeson’s negative campaign for the Gold Logie.

Keller and Gleeson are both up for the top gong at Sunday’s event along with Costa Georgiadis, Eve Morey, Sam Mac, Rodger Corser and Waleed Aly.

Gleeson has spent the past few weeks releasing mock attack ads about his fellow nominees and trashing them in the press. He’s also been open about the fact he wants to win the Gold Logie purely to highlight just how “preposterous” the awards are.

To win the Gold Logie you have to fight dirty. Going negative works. Here's my Amanda Keller attack ad. #tvweeklogies #Gleeson4Gold Vote here now: https://t.co/oIgKOm3nip pic.twitter.com/G85CVsC6lM

— Tom Gleeson (@nonstoptom) June 23, 2019

Gleeson’s behaviour hasn’t impressed Keller, who admitted to news.com.au she was “struggling” with the ABC comedian’s campaign.

“It’s hard because Tom is playing a different game, and that’s what I’m finding I’m struggling with to the honest,” The Living Room host said.

“It’s always been that the nominees are a happy soup, and I still want us to be a happy soup, there’s no need to make it personal and pick us all off. I know Tom’s playing a comedic game, but really, I’m just happy to be in the soup.”

Keller, who also hosts the WSFM breafkast show in Sydney, has turned down recent offers to be photographed alongside Gleeson and told news.com.au she didn’t want to get in a war of words with the Hard Quiz host.

“I’ve done a number of interviews where they’ve said, ‘Tell Tom what you think’. But that’s Tom’s game. I’m happy just to be here really,” she said.

Gold Logie nominees Tom Gleeson, Sam Mac, Eve Morey, Amanda Keller, Rodger Corser and Costa Georgiadis. Missing is Waleed Aly.

This isn’t the first time Gleeson has stirred up Logies controversy. Last year he launched a social media campaign to help Grant Denyer win the Gold Logie after Family Feud was axed by Channel 10.

Gleeson said at the time, “Let’s push the Logies to its most absurd extreme ever and give the Gold Logie to a guy that doesn’t have a TV show.”

Denyer went on to win, and Gleeson told Stellar magazine recently he thought his campaign upset Keller, who was also up for the Gold last year.

“Amanda has a good sense of humour, but I do think I pissed her off last year,” Gleeson told Stellar. “When I saw her afterwards she said, ‘You a***hole! You’ve ruined this for me!’”

Keller told news.com.au she didn’t remember saying such a thing to Gleeson and added, “If I did I hope I was laughing.”

RELATED: Grant Denyer’s still not happy Tom Gleeson hijacked his Logies campaign

The Channel 10 star also rejected the idea Gleeson was responsible for Denyer’s win, saying: “I actually think Grant won it under his own steam. I don’t think Tom got him over the line. I think it was destiny for Grant to win that year.”

Grant Denyer and Amanda Keller hosted Dancing With The Stars together this year.

Many believe it’s destiny for Keller to win this year, with Denyer, Ray Martin, Chrissie Swan and even fellow Gold Logie nominee Sam Mac all tipping The Living Room host to take home the big one on Sunday night.

Keller didn’t want to comment on her chances of winning, choosing to focus instead on being as prepared as possible for the gruelling event.

“It’s an assault on the senses being a Gold Logie nominee,” Keller told news.com.au. “There’s a lot of palaver and I don’t want to complain about it, but maybe it’s harder for women. You get your smash repairs (make-up) done at midday, get dressed at 3, then there’s two hours on the red carpet.
“I was exhausted by the time it started last year, and you know how long the Logies goes for. Before they announced the Gold Logie, I was at the point of thinking, ‘I don’t care, I just want this to be over’.

“It’s a bit like childbirth,” she laughed.

Live voting for the TV WEEK Logie Awards Most Popular categories reopened today at www.tvweeklogieawards.com.au and will finish at the end of the red-carpet telecast on Nine and 9Now on Sunday, June 30.