Photographer hits back at Lisa Wilkinson in furious open letter after margarita saga

The photographer who snapped Lisa Wilkinson dining solo in Melbourne has released a stunning “open letter” slamming the Project host.

A man identifying himself as the photographer who snapped Lisa Wilkinson dining solo in Melbourne has requested an apology in a withering open letter to the Project host.

Wilkinson took to Instagram earlier this week to call out a press photographer who left her feeling “totally violated” as he took photos of her eating dinner and enjoying a cocktail on her own over the weekend. The media personality, 62, has also since addressed the saga on The Project after her colleagues made light of the matter.

Her original post came after the Daily Mail published an “exclusive” article which included the pictures and chronicled her every move during the meal in great detail.

“Lisa Wilkinson sips on a margarita as she dines alone at a restaurant in Melbourne following The Project’s recent panellist shake-up,” the article’s headline read.

Stream more entertainment news live & on demand with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

Lisa Wilkinson joked about the article with co-host Peter Helliar on The Project this week. Picture: Channel 10.

The story repeatedly stressed the fact she was dining “alone”, with Wilkinson later lashing out at the blow-by-blow account of her meal, slamming the article in a lengthy post while referring to a “creepy old guy” she had seen walking past “half a dozen times”.

In his response, posted on the website Michael Smith News, the photographer in question took umbrage at the “creepy old guy” jab, introducing himself as Steve before pointing out that’s he’s actually younger than Wilkinson.

“Let me introduce myself – I'm Steve – and I'm the ‘creepy old man’ who photographed you sipping margaritas during a quiet dinner alone the other day in Melbourne. Who would have thought ‘that’ would turn into ‘this’?” he began.

“Let’s deal with the ‘creepy old man’ reference first. I’m actually 10 years younger than you are, so, Lisa, what does that make you? An ‘old old woman’? Of course not, and shame on anyone who refers to you as that because it’s degrading, sexist and downright offensive.”

Getting down to “brass tacks”, Steve then questioned the journalist’s claims she was “aware” of him taking photos of her.

“You claim you were aware of a guy. ‘He was incredibly menacing. I saw him walk past half a dozen times, staring at me.’

“Really? Here’s the thing. I did not walk past you once. Hundreds of other people did though as you’d expect given where you were sitting – in the front window of a busy hotel on possibly Melbourne’s busiest street,” he added.

“People know your face, Lisa. They’re going to look,” he said.

His lengthy address pointed out that Wilkinson’s decades-spanning media career has included stints at women’s magazines which publish celebrity gossip, accusing her of hypocrisy for now claiming such content is “intrusive and invasive”.

“Today you work as a presenter on The Project delving into all matters’ private,” he added.

“You claim to be an intensely private person, but have an Instagram account where you post about the dress you wore, the ‘shiny’ new hair do, how proud you are of your daughter. Private stuff.

“It is just nonsense. It’s the same entertainment journalism that pays your $2 million a year salary.”

He said Wilkinson should consider apologising to him before signing off as “Steve (aka the creepy old man)”.