The 65-year-old’s much publicised return to the small screen is hanging in the balance as New Idea has learned that she has told friends and Ten colleagues; “Sorry, I won’t be back next year.”
While news of Kerri-Anne’s shock departure has been denied by the network, with a spokesperson saying: “she will remain as a permanent member of the panel through 2019,” the TV veteran’s failure to show up to Ten’s Upfront event with the rest of the Studio 10 team last week suggests otherwise.
Questions arose as to her whereabouts after Kerri-Anne was nowhere to be seen on the panel last week, despite insiders confirming she was scheduled to make her regular appearance on the Monday and Tuesday.
Her no-show follows her outburst at The Chaser comedian Charles Firth for the group’s prank on Alan Jones – in which they publicly revealed the radio shock jock’s phone number.
Kerri-Anne retaliated by writing down Firth’s number on a piece of paper and boldly holding it up to the camera.
“Call Charles, there you go,” she said, infuriating Ten bosses.
“Then when Sarah told her to be quiet and let their guest speak, the whole crew gasped,” an insider revealed, saying that Kerri-Anne’s demanding behaviour has also been a cause for contention.
“Her classic KAK ego has kicked in. She hates the frivolous tone of the team and lack of hard-hitting interviews to grab newspaper headlines, which was her forte at Nine.”
And Kerri-Anne is said to be less than impressed with Studio 10’s dire ratings with views wavering between a meagre 50,000 to 60,000 a day.
“She cannot believe the ratings for Studio 10 ... numbers she never saw in her Nine days,” explains the insider.
Kerri-Anne made her return to Ten last month, after first launching her presenting career on the network in 1981, before going on to host shows on both Seven and Nine.
While she was initially happy to replace Denise Drysdale – she saw it as a great opportunity to get back on live network TV – the star now thinks she can do much better than the current situation.
Read the full story in this week's issue of New Idea, on sale now.
