With a statement posted on social media, media darling Carrie Bickmore has announced her separation from partner and father to two of her children, Chris Walker.
Taking to their respective social media accounts, Carrie and Chris shared the same statement, writing: ”Hi there, it’s with immense sadness that Chris and I have decided to separate. Whilst this is a tough time, our sole focus is on parenting, loving and supporting our three children Ollie, Evie and Addie with everything we’ve got. They are doing great. We won’t be making any further comment.”
Whilst many would be shocked by the news that this successful media couple’s relationship was fracturing, the signs of trouble brewing could come down to two big life changes she made in 2022.
The first: the family’s abrupt move to the United Kingdom.
In March, Carrie announced on The Project that she would be taking extended leave from the desk as the family packs up to move to the UK for a few months.
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This could have been a way to add some excitement or change of scenery to her life with Chris, or alternatively, as she didn’t have TV commitments for three months it allowed for more family time, which could have been a solution to relationship woes.
But whilst the families whirlwind three months in Europe may have looked like the trip of a lifetime from the posts on Instagram, Carrie end up admitted afterwards that it had it’s downsides – saying that the trip was “really, really hard” in some aspects.
“It didn’t all go to plan, and there were lots of times when it was really, really hard,” she confessed, adding that three-year-old Addie struggled the most.
The couple both worked in media, with Chris being a producer for the ABC.
(Image: Instagram)The second life change came in October, when she revealed she had made the decision to leave The Project after 13 years behind the desk.
Her reasoning behind this was a desire for ‘a new challenge and my next chapter,’ but family also seemed to have a influence on her departure, as she also said she was looking ‘forward to more family dinners.’
Being able to focus on her relationship to the father of two of her children could have also played a part.
The family moved over to the UK for three months in early 2022.
(Image: Instagram)The second life change came in October, when she revealed she had made the decision to leave The Project after 13 years behind the desk.
Her reasoning behind this was a desire for ‘a new challenge and my next chapter,’ but family also seemed to have a influence on her departure, as she also said she was looking ‘forward to more family dinners.’
Being able to focus on her relationship to the father of two of her children could have also played a part.
Chris posted a family photo on Instagram of the family at Carrie’s last The Project show.
(Image: Instagram)Chris would had appreciated Carrie’s work schedule being reduced, as he had previously told The Herald Sun that he found himself ”missing” his partner given how busy she was all the time.
”Carrie works so much, particularly at the start of the week I find myself missing her and the kids quite a lot.”
Whilst the news of the split came as a shock to many, the writing on the wall was there when Carrie revealed her private heartbreak as to leaving The Project.
In a handwritten letter shared to Instagram, Carrie poured her heart out, thanking her behind the scenes team for not only getting her ready to go on air five nights a week, but for supporting her through some of her most challenging times both professionally and personally.
”To my hair and makeup family. Crap, I am crying already,” the letter began.
”You have held my hand through some of the toughest days in my career. You hear it all, see it all and share it all with me and I can’t explain how much I am goign to miss you all.
”The is an unspoken bond between us all and please never forget how special you all are,” Carrie added.
Two months on from her last show, that ‘much-needed’ time with family obviously just wasn’t enough to keep Carrie and Chris together. No reason has been revealed for the split, and as in the statement they say they won’t be making any further comment, we may never know what caused the two to call it quits.
WATCH: Carrie Bickmore cleans out her desk at The Project
The couple had been together for over a decade, after falling in love whilst both working on the set of The Project where Chris was a producer and Carrie was a presenter.
Chris quickly took on the role of step father to Carrie’s son Ollie, who she had with husband Greg Lange, who passed of brain cancer in 2010.
In 2015 the couple welcomed their first child together, a daughter called Evie.
Then in 2018, Carrie gave birth to another baby girl named Adelaide, nicknamed Addie.
