Lisa Wilkinson slams reports of a rift with her new The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore

LISA Wilkinson has finally tackled rumours that Carrie Bickmore was not happy about her joining The Project as co-host.

LISA Wilkinson has poured cold water on reports she is in a “feud” with her new The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore.

When Channel Ten announced Wilkinson would join the program’s existing hosts Bickmore, Waleed Aly and Pete Helliar following her exit from Today over pay disparity, rumours surfaced that Bickmore was “pissed off” by Wilkinson’s paycheck.

The 58-year-old reportedly negotiated a $2.3 million salary, well above the $1.1 million she was supposedly being paid at Nine. Bickmore had reportedly renegotiated her own contract with Ten just weeks earlier, earning between $200,000 and $500,000.

But during an interview with news.com.au on Tuesday, Wilkinson said any rumours of a feud are “complete fiction.”

“I couldn’t believe [there were rumours] because this is complete fiction. Carrie can’t believe it, I can’t believe it,” Wilkinson said at a lunch in Sydney to celebrate her ambassador role with Nutra Life vitamins and supplements.

“We refuse to engage in it, because it would only give it credibility and there is no truth to it. Carrie and I have been mates for years,” she said.

“We have a lot of close friends in common as well and for all of us it’s really disappointing that for some reason there’s a belief ... that two strong women can’t work together and support each other and enjoy working together.”

Lisa Wilkinson makes her first TV appearance on The Project after departing Channel 9.

Bickmore, 37, has publicly thrown her support behind Wilkinson but has not addressed the rumours directly.

“Nine’s loss is our gain here at Network Ten,” Bickmore said on The Project last year. “An incredible woman — smart, funny, down to earth. We couldn’t be more excited.”

In October she posted a photo on Instagram with this caption: “Congrats on an incredible stint at Today babe. Hope you enjoyed your sleep in ... and can’t wait to see your beaming face on @theprojecttv soon.”

In December, the pair were photographed sharing a laugh together outside Melbourne airport, where Bickmore is based and The Project is usually filmed.

Lisa Wilkinson and Carrie Bickmore with her partner Chris Walker outside Melbourne airport in December. Picture: Mega

Wilkinson will host the show three days a week — on Sundays, Thursdays and Fridays — travelling from her home in Sydney where she is based with husband Peter FitzSimons and her three children.

“In a normal week I’ll fly down first thing on a Thursday morning and catch the last flight out on a Friday,” she said.

“But there will be times that there will be things that I want to do in Melbourne on the Saturday and there will be times when I’ll be flying overseas to do interviews. I’ll probably come off air on a Sunday night and on a Monday I can fly to London and still be back by Thursday’s show.”

Lisa Wilkinson at the Nutri Life lunch held at Altitude Restaurant at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Wilkinson says one of the reasons why she left Today was her frustration at not being able to sink her teeth into serious current affairs issues and in-depth interviews.
“One of the many things that was really attractive about the offer to join The Project [was] doing longer form journalism and to deal with issues that probably aren’t appropriate at breakfast time,” she said.

“There were times when there were issues I wanted to cover on the show but it wasn’t considered right for the timeslot.

“So to be able to stretch my wings journalistically is something that was really attractive part of going to The Project.”

But the media storm she encountered following the announcement that she was leaving Channel Nine was tough, Wilkinson says.

She was followed by the paparazzi for days and her name was in the headlines for weeks, which is how she came to be photographed crouching in her own driveway in an attempt to hide from photographers.

Lisa Wilkinson hid behind her Audi in her driveway last October after being hounded by the paparazzi following her decision to leave Today. Picture: Dimex

“I think everyone saw that stupid shot of me crouching behind my car. I looked at it and thought, ‘I look guilty’,” Wilkinson told media on Tuesday.

“You don’t want anyone to think you’re parading yourself, that you’re engaging in this [attention]. I really wanted to disappear.”

Wilkinson’s decision to quit her job in protest of the pay difference between herself and co-host Karl Stefanovic started an important conversation about the gender pay gap in Australia.

Australian women earn on average 15.3 per cent less than men, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. That equates to $251.20 a week less in take-home pay.

“If people, particularly women, have felt empowered and that more equality has come from what happened, then that makes me feel like for all the difficulties, it was really worthwhile,” Wilkinson said.

“There’s been a mindshift in what’s possible in the last 12 months and this whole movement has moved at such a speed and a pace,” she said.

“If you are an executive in media, deny it at your peril because the train has left the station. Unless you’re going to get on it and feel good about it, then you’re going to get left behind.”

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