By Broede Carmody
Entertainment veteran Kerri-Anne Kennerley has suffered a broken collarbone after falling from a trapeze at Sydney's Lyric Theatre on Wednesday evening.
The former Studio 10 co-host was performing in the Tony Award-winning musical Pippin when she fell around four metres onto the stage.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley with Pippin lead Ainsley Melham.
Producers said Kennerly finished her song and was taken to hospital. Scans revealed that in addition to a broken collarbone the TV star had sustained a chip to a bone in her ankle.
In a statement, Kennerley said the show had been "one of the great experiences" of her life and she was thankful for everyone's support.
"What happened is just a random misstep in the trapeze and circus world," she said. "I've always felt safe in their hands but accidents just happen."
A spokesman for SafeWork NSW said the occupational health and safety watchdog was looking into the incident.
"SafeWork's enquiries are ongoing," the spokesman said.
Earlier this year, Kennerley said she was excited to play Berthe in Pippin as it would involve the challenge of singing upside down. Berthe is a supporting character who is described as a "saucy grandmother".
The TV star has been a familiar face in Australia's entertainment industry for more than four decades. In the 1980s and '90s she hosted Network Ten's Good Morning Australia program. She has been inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame, appeared on Australia Post stamps and even released a Christmas album.
More recently, she was the host of Ten's morning talk show Studio 10. She and several other presenters, such as Joe Hildebrand, left in September during a round of cost-cutting.
Pippin is slated to run until the end of January 2021. Kennerley will be replaced by understudies until further notice, the first of which will be performer Angelique Cassimatis. Broken collarbones can take several weeks to heal depending on the severity of the injury.
The Lyric Theatre has been adhering to strict audience limits during Pippin's run due to COVID-19. Attendees are required to wear masks, register via a QR code and practise social distancing.