Can you believe it has barely been a month since Georgie Gardener officially stepped into Lisa Wilkinson’s big shoes as Karl Stefanovic’s Today co-host?
Neither can she!
Speaking to Stellar magazine over the weekend, the esteemed journalist opened up about her demanding new role.
“I wanted to be absolutely sure I was ready, and that I was right for the network, and right for the show,” Georgie mused.
“There is no other gig like it.”
“My feeling is you only get asked once in your career and, at age 47, the time was right. I had life experience behind me, hopefully something to offer, and great encouragement from management at Nine.”
“To me, it was time.”
The Nine star was very honest about her relationship with co-anchor Karl, admitting you don’t need to be best mates to work well together.
“Good chemistry, to me, is interaction and respect and knowing when to let one shine [or] pull back. Drawing out people’s strength, having their back. Making each other laugh, finding the humour,” she said.
“Relationships by their very nature are often complex, and when it’s in those hosting chairs on national TV, you’re exposed. But that’s interesting.”
When Georgie scored the exciting gig, she admitted they did have their fair share of “bumps” along the way and have a “robust” relationship.
Georgie admits she and Karl aren’t besties.
One insider claimed the 47-year-old only agreed to return to Today on the proviso she would work with Karl for a year.
“She signed on to the show after having been assured she would only have to do one year with Karl. After that, he’s gone and Nine will recast and she will get to work with someone else,” a source alleged.
But for Georige, her focus is her job.
Showing audiences a new side to herself, the host spoke of her younger years, explaining that at times she did feel insecurities about her looks.
“I wasn’t hired for my looks.”
But the 47-year-old admitted she no longer lets that get a hold of her, rather focusing on her credentials.
“I was someone who was always very self-conscious of my looks. I was the plain, chubby teenager who never in a million years would have dreamt of a career in TV,” the celebrated newsreader shared.
“I don’t let it overwhelm me. In a way, I think I took some comfort in knowing I wasn’t hired for my looks, to be honest. I didn’t feel that pressure.”
