When Tracy Grimshaw sensationally announced she was stepping away from A Current Affair live on-air last month, it left Australia’s biggest presenters begging to replace her. But no one has been more motivated than Today’s Allison Langdon.
According to industry insiders, the Today co-host, 43, is gunning for the lucrative role – which Tracy, 62, has held onto for 17 years and earned her $700,000 a year – as it offers more family-friendly hours and greater flexibility, which would be more suited to her and her young kids, Mack, five, and Scout, three.
“She currently feels a little trapped at Today,” insists a source, who says while she loves her job opposite Karl Stefanovic, A Current Affair offers much more flexibility and manageable hours.
Ally would be a great candidate for Tracey’s role
(Image: Instagram)While Tracy’s role is considered one of media’s most formidable jobs, she’s mostly worked from her desk at Nine’s studios, and even filmed from home during the pandemic – making it a more viable role for the mother-of-two.
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GRUELLING SCHEDULE
Speaking to the media last year, Ally laid bare her challenging weekday schedule, which sees her waking up at 3.30am to get to work before returning home later that day to begin her other role as a mum.
“There’s like four loads of washing that need to be done and I’ve actually just found it’s better to get up and get it done. So I don’t sleep during the day,” she explained.
Allison wakes up at 3:30 to host the Today show.
(Image: Instagram)“It’s really hard,” Ally said in another interview in 2020, recalling the moment she took son Mack to work after a night with no sleep.
“I was trying to say, ‘Pass me the spoon,’ but I couldn’t remember the word for spoon and I was getting really upset and crying. My job is words and [I was thinking] I’m about to do an interview and I’m a terrible mum and I’m terrible at my job – it can get so overwhelming.”
Fast forward two years and her schedule still hasn’t eased either.
Early last month, Ally flew to London to film around-the-clock coverage of the Queen’s death for almost two weeks. So exhausted was the presenter that she took to the desk looking worn out and was even caught having a nap in between takes, after a gruelling 14-hour day.
Allison was exhausted after the Queen coverage.
(Image: Instagram)UNWANTED FAME
Ally has also found herself unwittingly becoming the centre of attention lately.
The TV host was called out on the Duchess of Sussex’s podcast, with the royal lashing out at the media for saying she was lucky that Prince Harry had “chosen her” to be her wife.
“Ally knows generating a few headlines is all part of the job, but some things can be harder to laugh off than others,” says a Nine insider.
Despite Ally having several reasons why she may want to leave Today, insiders say she and Karl, 48, might be too much of a success story on the program for the big bosses to let her go.
According to sources, Ally also faces several big names if she wants the ACA job, with tipsters revealing that 60 Minutes reporter Sarah Abo, 36, and 2GB radio host Deborah Knight, 49, are the two hot contenders to take the top hosting role after Tracy walks away next month.
