The Project’s Hamish Macdonald squirms as co-star reveals his odd private habit

The Project’s Hamish Macdonald was left red-faced when Peter Helliar shared something very private he’d revealed off-air.

There are some things that are meant to stay sacred among colleagues.

On Thursday night, The Project star Hamish Macdonald learnt that hard way that not everyone honours the unspoken rule, after being caught off-guard when Peter Helliar outed him for an awkward habit he’d confessed to off-camera.

During a discussion about whether or not to take your shoes off at home, Peter, 46, turned to the former ABC star and probed: “Hamish has a weird method where you keep your shoes on, but you take everything else off?

“Is that what you were telling me before the show?”

Comedian Helliar appeared to delight in embarrassing his colleague.

Macdonald, 40, appeared sheepish as he laughed: “It’s not what I was telling you …”

“It was a variation of that, wasn’t it?” Helliar continued as Macdonald reminded him of their prior chat.

“I specifically said, not for the show …” he told his colleague as Helliar cheekily responded: “I misunderstood that bit. I apologise for that, it won’t happen again.”

Macdonald appeared embarrassed by the private info exposed on air.

Letting viewers in on his odd ritual, Macdonald eventually explained: “I like taking my trousers off, and keep my undies on … I like to free my legs, because they get hot!”

“You’ve got hot legs, that’s why!” Helliar quipped.

It’s been an emotional week on The Project after longtime host Carrie Bickmore’s shock announcement on Tuesday night that she’s leaving the show.

Bickmore explained that she and partner Craig had long dreamt of living in the UK with their family, and were finally taking the plunge before Bickmore’s eldest son starts his final years of schooling.

Bickmore welled up in tears while sharing the news this week.

The mum-of-three said she had been inspired by radio star Kate Langbroek, 56, who spent two years living in Bologna, Italy, with her family.

“It feels like this is our last chance to do something like this together,” Bickmore said of the decision.

The media personality shares two children, daughters Evie, six, and Adelaide, three, with her partner Chris Walker, a television producer for the ABC and Channel 10.

She welcomed eldest son Oliver, 14, during her marriage to the late Greg Lange, who died of brain cancer in 2010.

Bickmore has held a place on The Project panel since its inception in 2009, and is understood to be returning to the show after a few months overseas.

Chrissie Swan and Georgie Tunny will take over in her absence from April.

Originally published as The Project’s Hamish Macdonald squirms as co-star reveals his odd private habit