It’s been a little over a year since TV golden girl Carrie Bickmore lit up our screens on The Project, and now TV insiders confess her old bosses at Ten are desperately trying to convince her to join the next season of reality powerhouse I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
As part of their plan to lure her into the South African jungle, it’s believed production is “open to the idea” of a double act with her radio co-star and rumoured love interest, Tommy Little – much like their Nova counterparts Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald and Michael “Wippa” Wipfli did in 2016.
The clever stunt could prove a ratings bonanza for the network, given Carrie, 43, and Tommy, 38, have had people wondering for months whether they are a real-life couple since her split from long-term partner Chris Walker in January 2023.
Carefree Carrie hasn’t commented on the persistent Tommy romance rumours, but they’re often out at social and work events and even enjoyed a trip to Paris together several months ago to host their radio show from the City of Love.
Production sources also insist they want the pair involved to help celebrate the milestone 10th season of I’m A Celeb and there’s no doubt their chemistry makes them a guaranteed hit with audiences, with the Carrie & Tommy show voted the number-one drive-time show nationally for 2023.
After a nice break from demanding TV schedules, insiders say a refreshed Carrie “is itching to get back on TV screens” across the country in 2024.
And while she’s still weighing up whether or not to commit to the often-gruelling series, insiders say she knows how much her good mate Peter Helliar enjoyed his stint in 2023.
Our source adds that Carrie’s good friends Jackie O and Sarah Harris have also been encouraging her to seize exciting new opportunities when it comes to her work.
Potential TV offers aside, Carrie has spent the last year focusing on her wellbeing after her split from Chris.
“Her commitment to her health and fitness has filled a space where she could have been overthinking obvious hurdles in the past 12 months,” says the insider.
She’s also offloaded her lush $3.65 million Byron Bay home, which the couple used for their family holidays and as a rental on Airbnb.
“There are changes on the horizon and selling the Byron property was needed – it was always a bit of a financial investment and neither she nor Chris were really using it,” says the source.
“It felt like a door was left open to the past, something they could both afford to let go of.”
Still, the pair continue to co-parent amicably for the sake of their children, Addie, five, Evie, eight, and their big brother Ollie, 16, whose father is Carrie’s first husband Greg Lange, who died in 2010.
The insider adds, “It is a priority to keep things as normal as possible. They are forever in each other’s lives.”