How Georgie changed Karl’s mind about quitting Today

THEIR relationship was rumoured to be strained, but now Karl Stefanovic has revealed it was Georgie Gardner who changed his mind about quitting Today.

THEIR working relationship was rumoured to be strained after Karl Stefanovic was caught allegedly badmouthing Georgie Gardner in the ‘Ubergate’ phone call.

But in a rare joint interview Stefanovic has revealed it was Gardner who changed his mind about quitting Today.

Stefanovic told Triple M’s Kennedy Molloy that he had wanted to leave the breakfast show for a long time.

“There was a time when I didn’t want to do it anymore — about seven years ago — and also [when] Georgie came along this year and reinvigorated the show, honestly reinvigorated the show,” he said.

Karl Stefanovic and Georgie Gardner on the set of the Today show. Picture: Supplied

“And now I’ve never been more interested in doing it because it is so different.”

Despite the pair’s relationship appearing awkward at times on Today — such as when Gardner called Stefanovic “pathetic” the morning the Ubergate story was published — both insisted they enjoyed making fun of each other.

“There’s nothing like when we get a bit of banter going and we rip each other and tease each other,” Gardner told Triple M.

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“The thing about us is we do know each other very well, we see each other at all times of the day, and we know each other’s weak spots, we really genuinely love to tease each other.”

The pair also joked that their relationship was so close Gardner had a particular trick for working out what Stefanovic had been up to the night before.

Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

“She can tell the number of drinks I’ve had the night before. She’ll go, ‘what was the tipple of choice last night — rum?’” Stefanovic revealed.

Gardner joined the Today show as host earlier this year after Lisa Wilkinson abruptly quit over a pay dispute last year.