Perfect reception
TODAY IS A NEW STEP FOR GEORGIE GARDNER AS SHE PUSHES TO MAKE HER MARK ON BREAKFAST TV
WHEN journalist Georgie Gardner woke up with Today as the breakfast show’s new cohost this morning she hoped she would instantly click with viewers.
But she knows that stepping into Lisa Wilkinson’s shoes alongside the often unpredictable Karl Stefanovic comes with its risks.
“There’s a part of me that feels wary,” Gardner said of sharing more of her personality and opinion with viewers, “because we live in a time now where there is just so much scrutiny, we live in this very weird era of clickbait and I just hope with that that I don’t lose my spontaneity.
“I figure we’re all at risk of saying something that we might … regret or feel ‘oh gosh I wish I didn’t say that’, but I hope that doesn’t override the genuine side of me and my authenticity and dull my personality because I think live television it can be edgy and it is a platform to talk about matters of the heart and give opinions which is quite different to having the newsreader hat on.”
Much controversy or “clickbait” has already been made about the tension that exists between Gardner and Stefanovic, with suggestions the pair don’t get along.
Gardner herself even acknowledged those “bumps” late last year when her appointment was announced, telling viewers: “Strap yourselves in because anything could happen.”
But the 46-year-old said the ongoing speculation about their relationship had been “hyped up a fair bit”.
“There’s no doubt Karl and I both have strong personalities, we both bring strengths and both have our flaws like everyone else,” she said.
“But what I can guarantee is that it will be authentic, there will at times be robust exchanges, I’m sure about that, to me that’s part of a real authentic friendship and relationship.”
Gardner hopes to put her personal stamp on the show by bringing more parenting issues and uplifting stories into Aussie living rooms.
But while the role is new, her feelings on that dreaded early morning alarm clock aren’t after seven years as waking up as the breakfast show’s newsreader.
“I’m a little anxious about the 3.30am alarm clock, I’ve got to be honest. Having done it before, I do know what’s involved, but it is plunging back into those pretty unsavoury hours again, but that’s really the only downside.
“There’s so much to be excited about.”